The Petition Has Closed. What Did We Learn?

Yesterday, my UK Parliament petition on Sudan closed with 1,060 signatures.

To every person who signed, shared, encouraged others, contacted their MP, or simply took the time to support it— thank you.

I am especially grateful to those who shared the petition repeatedly, posted it in WhatsApp groups, spoke about it in their communities, and reminded others that democracy only works when people participate.

Together, we reached 1,060 signatures.

I am proud of what we achieved. But I am also left with some difficult questions.

The UK is home to a significant Sudanese community. We have professionals, students, entrepreneurs, academics, healthcare workers, faith leaders and community organisations across the country. We have all witnessed the unimaginable suffering of our families, friends and fellow citizens over the past three years.

Yet our petition finished with 1,060 signatures.

This is not a criticism of those who signed. They did their part.
It is a question for all of us.

Why were we unable to mobilise more people around a simple democratic action that took less than two minutes?

Was it because people never saw the petition?

Did they believe one signature would make no difference?

Have we become overwhelmed by the scale of Sudan’s tragedy, or exhausted by years of conflict and disappointment?

Or do we, as a diaspora, still struggle to organise around shared causes, even when those causes affect our own people?

These are uncomfortable questions, but they are questions we need to ask ourselves honestly.

Signing a petition is not, by itself, going to change UK foreign policy. But it is one of the simplest ways to demonstrate that people care, that an issue matters, and that elected representatives should pay attention.

If we find it difficult to mobilise around something as accessible as a parliamentary petition, what does that say about our ability to influence policy, shape public debate, or advocate effectively for Sudan in the years ahead?

I do not ask these questions to assign blame.

I ask them because I believe we can do better.

Throughout this campaign, I saw extraordinary commitment. Volunteers translated materials, designed graphics, contacted MPs, spoke in mosques and community centres, and shared the petition countless times. That spirit gives me hope.

The challenge now is to build on it.

Advocacy is not measured only by whether a petition reaches 10,000 signatures. It is measured by whether we learn from each campaign, strengthen our networks, and become more organised and more effective the next time.

Perhaps the greatest lesson from this petition is not that we fell short of 10,000 signatures. It is that building a culture of civic participation takes time.

Democracies are strengthened not by one campaign, but by citizens who continue to show up, speak out and participate, even when the outcome is uncertain. That is the culture we must build—for ourselves, for our community, and for the Sudan we hope to build.

Sudan’s future will not be shaped by one petition. But it will be shaped by whether we, wherever we live, choose to engage consistently, work collectively, and use every democratic avenue available to us.

So today, I simply want to say thank you.

Thank you to the 1,060 people who signed.

Thank you to everyone who shared the petition.

Thank you to those who gave their time, their energy and their voice.

The petition has closed.

The work has not.