King Charles visits members of the Sudanese community

The King was greeted with a rousing traditional welcome as he met with members of the UK’s Sudanese community to mark the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Darfur.

Charles, 74, looked delighted as the men and women cheered and exclaimed ‘marhaba’, an Arabic word for welcome, and ‘zugruta’, a form of ululation as he stepped out in London.

He had been invited to meet community representatives by Amouna Adam, 48, who survived the conflict and was invited to Buckingham Palace in January to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

The monarch was so moved by her story that when she asked whether he would like to meet other Sudanese refugees in the UK he was determined to keep his word, resulting in today visit.

Ms Adam, a member of the persecuted Fur tribe who lost 150 members of her extended family before fleeing to the UK, said she was ‘so heartened’ that the King had responded to her request so quickly and wanted to listen to their stories.

His Majesty, who was caught up in road traffic chaos prompted by strikes in London, apologised for being late, saying: ‘I am so sorry for keeping you waiting. We got repeatedly stuck and had to come all the way around!’

He spent an hour moving from table to table – which were laden with home-made donuts and items with relevance to their home country – talking to every single person present.

Speaking to mother-of-two Khadudja, the King told her: ‘You are very courageous. How have you managed to transition and are you able to speak to your family [back home?’

She said afterwards: ‘His Majesty The King was saying how much he felt for us going through the genocide and coming here. There are a lot of mental health problems, we have lost two members of our community recently.

‘I came to the UK in 2003, I lost family members in the conflict. There have been a lot of problem specifically for women in terms of violence and rape. 

‘It has been a difficult experience leaving my country. In life you have ups and downs and it takes a lot of adjustment.

‘For the King to sit here and listen to us talk about it, it means a lot. He is keen to listen to problems all around the world and not just in the UK. As a refugee to the UK it has meant a lot to be listened to.’

His Majesty was shown photographs, drawings and objects brought from Sudan and watched Sudanese women as they decorated pieces of fabric to create a giant toub, (traditional Sudanese dress, part of an empowerment and peacebuilding project which aims to bring the UK’s Sudanese community together as a visual representation of unity and solidarity.

Rebecca Tinsley of the Network for Africa which has provided psychological support to survivors in Darfur and other parts of the continent, told the King: ‘I hope Your Majesty knows how significant it was in your address to the nation last September that you said you would endeavour to serve all the people of this country whatever race or creed that we may be. That means a great deal to us and for you coming here.’

The King described it as a ‘very special visit for me, I can assure you’. He added: ‘I am so glad you are safe here.’

In 2003, two Darfuri rebel movements – the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)- began fighting against the Sudanese government, complaining about the marginalization of the area.

The government of Sudan were accused of retaliating by unleashing Arab militias known as Janjaweed, or ‘devils on horseback’ who attacked hundreds of villages.

Over 400 villages were completely destroyed and millions of civilians were forced to flee their homes.

The Sudanese government deny any connection with the Janjaweed.