Imported conflict? Regime change in Sudan as a trigger for unity amongst Sudanese in Israel

ABSTRACT

Transnational groups often organise politically to generate change in the homeland. This article examines political organising amongst the Sudanese asylum seeker diaspora in Israel. It compares the activities of a small group of activists who are members of branches of Sudanese political movements with activities which engaged the community at large in supporting regime change in Sudan in early 2019. Based on semi-structured interviews with 48 young males and attendance at five events, the findings reinforce the notion that diaspora politics is contentious, that a small group of individuals are actively engaged in on-going political activities and that diaspora politics constitutes a unified transnational space. Pointing to the pervasive influence of the homeland, it sheds light on the motivations of temporarily engaged activists while explicating factors that promote unity and cooperation around political issues. As such, it enhances understanding of factors that promote political mobilisation amongst the wider communities of marginalised asylum seekers and which help such communities to overcome political fractures.

KEYWORDS:

• Sudan
• political movements
• refugees
• Israel
• diaspora

Aknowledgements

The author would like to thank Prof. Lynn Schler, Prof. Ayelet Harel Shelev, Dr. Yonatan Mendel, Sharon Separ and the anonymous reviewers for their comments on previous drafts. I would also like to express my gratitude to the Darfurian community in Israel for sharing their thoughts and experiences with me.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 UN News 2020, United Nations, accessed April 21, 2021, <https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/01/1054911>

2 Hotline for Refugees and Migrants, 2019, Hotline for Refugees and Migrants, accessed April 21, 2021, <https://hotline.org.il/en/in-broad-daylight-the-deposit-law-implementation-and-impact/>

3 The exception being that they are entitled to emergency healthcare in the case of life-threatening illness.

4 Hotline for Refugees and Migrants, 2019, Hotline for Refugees and Migrants, accessed April 21, 2021, <http://hotline.org.il/wp-content/uploads/202505247-Until-Our-Hearts-Are-Completely-Hardened-Asylum-Procedures-in-Israel.pdf> <http://hotline.org.il/wp-content/uploads/No-Safe-Haven.pdf>

5 HIAS Israel, 2020, HIAS Israel, accessed April 21, 2021 <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Pjyg6tFs1TgkNkTLfYagNDof5UtWh8A6/view>

6 For this reason, this article will broadly refer to them as asylum seekers.

7 Yediot Ahronot, 2017, Ynet news, accessed April 21, 2021, <https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4902465,00.html>

8 Hotline for Refugees and Migrants, 2012, Hotline for Refugees and Migrants, accessed April 21, 2021, <https://hotline.org.il/en/publication/cancer-in-our-body-eng/>

9 The Guardian, 2012, The Guardian, accessed April 21, 2021, <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/24/israelis-attack-african-migrants-protest>; The Times of Israel, 2016, The Times of Israel, accessed April 21, 2021, <https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-teen-held-for-beating-to-death-sudanese-refugee/>; Haaretz, 2020, Haaretz, accessed April 21, 2021, <https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israeli-court-acquits-two-men-who-killed-asylum-seeker-they-mistook-for-a-terrorist-1.9006553>

10 The Population and Immigration Authority, 2021, The Israeli Ministry of Interior, accessed April 21, 2021, [in Hebrew], <https://www.gov.il/he/departments/general/foreign_workers_stats>

11 Israel has since embarked on formal diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates.

12 500 Words Magazine, 2018, 500 Words Magazine, accessed April 21, 2021, <https://500wordsmag.com/sudan-news/why-is-the-first-and-former-flag-of-sudan-resurfacing-on-social-media/>

13 The Guardian, 2019, The Guardian, accessed April 21, 2021, <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/14/blueforsudan-social-media-users-show-solidarity-for-protester>

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Kreitman School of Advanced Graduate Studies and the Tamar Golan Center at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.