Sudan is in Dire Condition

On news channels, Instagram, Twitter (now X), and other social media platforms, two countries dominate the major headlines - Sudan and the UAE. Gut wrenching visuals of women and children begging for mercy from militants are being widely circulated. Villages are destroyed, civilians are massacred, and women and children as young as one year old are being raped. The catastrophe in Sudan might be similar to or way worse than the live-streamed genocide in Gaza. So what is exactly happening there?

Sudan: Geography

Since Sudan is in Africa, many of us are unaware of its existence, because who cares when Black people die? It is a country that is a part of the Arab world, located in Northeast Africa, south of Egypt. The Red Sea lies to the east, Chad to the west, and South Sudan to its south. Other neighboring countries include Libya, the Central African Republic, Eritrea and Ethiopia. Sudan is home to the longest river in the world, the River Nile. The Nubian Desert is in its northeast regions. Khartoum is its capital city. The country has an area of around 1.886 million square kilometers. Sudan has large mineral reserves, including gold, copper, iron ore, uranium, oil, and rare earth elements. Whether the Global North citizens know about its existence or not, their governments keep a constant eye on Sudan due to its location and resources.

Colonial History

Sudan was under Anglo-Egyptian administration from 1899 to 1956. Britain, however, held more political power as Egyptian policy itself was more or less under British influence. Britain, like all other colonies, looted Sudan, exploited labor. There have been reports of sexual exploitation of women in the region as well. On January 1, 1956, Sudan finally gained independence from Britain and Egyptian administration. Since then, Sudan has been a pretty politically unstable country, thanks to the expertise of European drawn borders. 

A victim of poverty and famine, the country has witnessed 20 coup attempts, with 15 military coups in total. Three major civil wars have occurred - the first from 1955 to 1972, the second from 1983 to 2005, and the current conflict that began in 2023. The first two civil wars were between the North and South regions of the country, which led to the birth of Christian majority South Sudan in the year 2011. In all the civil wars, superpowers and regional powers have tried to dominate Sudan for its resources, directly or indirectly. Sudan was never truly independent from colonialism. All of it was neo-colonialism in play!

What Is Happening in Sudan Right Now?

Let us rewind the timeline for background and context. Since 1989, the dictator Omar al-Bashir ruled Sudan with tyranny. He imposed Islamist ideology and brutal repression, and is alleged to have committed genocide in Darfur against the ethnic Darfuri population. In April 2019, massive protests erupted. The army removed Bashir in a coup and promised a civil transition, but instead, a power centralization began. Who centralized the power? Two men, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, commander of the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF. Remember these two factions as they are important for further discussions.

Now, the RSF is a pretty controversial group. It emerged from the notorious Janjaweed militias used in the Darfur genocide. The SAF is not free from blood on its hands either as it was allied with the Janjaweed and was complacent in the genocide and massacres in Darfur. The International Criminal Court had even issued two arrest warrants for the then President Bashir in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

In October 2021, Burhan and Hemedti staged a joint coup against the civilian government. Institutions were destroyed, and elections were promised for later, a classic move by dictators. Now, these two political groups have owned economic empires. Elections might mean losing it all and facing accountability for past actions. Further, Burhan wanted the integration of the RSF with the SAF in 2 years, while Hemedti wanted a time frame of 10 years and his own command chain. Each side did not trust the other and feared they would topple the government. Hence, an uneasy alliance between the two existed Hemedti began mobilizing forces around Khartoum and Darfur, and on April 15, 2023, another civil war erupted.

This is another example where no common woman, no common man, and no child wanted war. It was about two power hungry men after each others' blood.

The Plight of Sudanese Women and Children

Sudan, like most countries, is a patriarchal society. The country trying to recover from British colonization, had been a victim of conflicts. Women and children have been the worst victims of all. Even during the current war, they face a constant threat of the RSF or SAF attacking them. Sexual violence is used as a tool to terrorize and is not uncommon. Google Maps is showing images of blood and corpses all over the ground in various Sudanese villages.

During the civil war, schools and healthcare centers are nonfunctional or destroyed. There is no education for children and healthcare is unavailable, and a lack of menstrual care available, forcing women and girls to use unhygienic products during periods. Mass displacement has affected over 12 million people, around half of whom are women and children.

Since the economy has been devastated, financially independent women have lost their businesses and become dependent, making them even more vulnerable to violence. Food scarcity has led to malnutrition among children and women. In Sudanese culture, women are often supposed to serve others first and are the last ones to eat, meaning less food is left for them as a result.

The Politics Going On

Scenes from Sudan should have forced the leaders of the civilized Western world to take immediate action. But business is more important than Sudanese women apparently.

Let us start with the UAE, which is more in the news. The RSF controls areas with gold mines, and the UAE is interested in those, hence, allegedly supporting them via arms. It is considered to be one of the most developed countries in the Arab world with high literacy rates, yet it is supporting barbarism. There have been calls to boycott UAE amongst angry individuals. Its close ties with the USA and Israel since the Abraham accords make others skeptical too. 

In the past, the Russian group Wagner has also supported the RSF for gold and to gain access to the Red Sea. However, recently, the Russian government's stance has become more pro SAF.

Egypt has been arming the SAF to protect personal interests, particularly the security of the Nile River. Egypt considers SAF as the legitimate government of Sudan and views the RSF as a threat that can work more closely with Ethiopia, its rival.

The Western world has tried peace talks, but since it is Africa, they are not much active either. The Quad group, consisting of the USA, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, has attempted to mediate a ceasefire, but peace talks have failed as of now.

What is the UN doing? Issuing strongly worded condemnations! The H in UN stands for helpful.

But there is no H in UN?

Exactly!

The U in UN surely stands for useless though.

Final Thoughts

Sudan is a largely ignored country, simply because it has a Black majority. Political instability and civil wars in Sudan have led to horrendous atrocities against women and children. Western feminist icons maintain a deafening silence. Meanwhile, climate activist Greta Thunberg has been vocal on such issues. Capitalism, the weapons mafia in this case, wants to continue this war because weapons mean profit. But what profit is there if it devastates human life? The world's selective attention to humanitarian crises reveals the racism embedded in international politics. Sudanese women and children deserve the same outrage, the same headlines, and the same efforts as any other population suffering under war. Until we dismantle the systems that value some lives over others, conflicts like Sudan will continue to be ignored while the powerful profit from the bloodshed.