Two years into the conflict that has been raging in the country, the war in Sudan has suddenly caught the eye of Western media. In Britain, “The Times” called it the "forgotten war." Oh God!
Now, it is too little too late. Indeed, According to international aid organizations, Only after 150,000 people have died, millions have been displaced, and a famine similar to that seen in Ethiopia in the early 1980s looms, did Western media outlets remember the devastating war in Sudan. They have begun to raise the alarm, warning of a deadly famine that awaits Sudanese survivors- those who haven’t been killed, displaced, or forced to live in refugee camps in neighboring countries.
Calling the conflict in Sudan a civil war, as some commentators have done consistently, is not accurate. A war of generals vying for power and influence is a more fair qualification. These are the very same generals who, only a few months before their falling out, came together to thwart Sudan’s democratic experiment and end civilian governance by orchestrating a coup. They are the same generals who ordered their soldiers to open fire on young Sudanese protesters, men, and women who marched through the streets of Khartoum and other cities demanding that the army return to its barracks and restore civilian rule. They are the same generals who opened the door to foreign meddling, turning the conflict into a proxy war between several powers. They are also the same generals who will lead Sudan into the abyss by fueling divisions and fragmenting the country.
In response to international relief organizations’ reports about the dire conditions in Sudan that warn of an unprecedented famine, the Biden administration recently issued a decision to ban the commander of the “Rapid Support Forces” (RSF) and his immediate family from entering the United States because of his forces' brutal crimes against civilians. While the US is sending millions of dollars in aid to Ukraine and Israel every week, its assistance to Sudan and the starving Sudanese women, elderly people, and children has not gone beyond barring General Hemedti and his family from entering the US! It is as though the administration believes that this is an unprecedented humanitarian gesture to the Sudanese people that will save them from the looming famine.
Meanwhile, international aid organizations are asking the international community for $2.7 billion in humanitarian assistance to the people of Sudan, but they have received less than half of the money they need, according to their reports.
Refugee shelters in neighboring countries cannot accommodate the growing influx of Sudanese refugees. Meanwhile, the generals on both sides of the conflict continue to obstinately rebuff negotiations or any settlement that could spare Sudan and its people a famine and save the country from division, as well as allow refugees, the displaced, and those without homes to return. It has also become increasingly clear to us all that many foreign countries are fueling the conflict by steadily supplying both sides with arms and ammunition.
The news coming out of Sudan every day is deeply unsettling. International organizations are warning that the looming famine resulting from the damage to the irrigation system puts 26 million people at risk. Cholera is spreading, and rape, ethnic cleansing, and torture are becoming increasingly commonplace. Added to this is the growing number of Sudanese seeking refuge in Europe to escape death.
The misfortune of Sudan and its people is compounded by the fact that their generals chose the wrong time to go to war. They lit the fuse at a time when the international community was busy with the Russian-Ukrainian war. The situation was made even worse by the outbreak of another genocidal war in Gaza. As these two conflicts raged, the global community turned its back on the catastrophe in Sudan.
The African Union has made some attempts to calm the situation, urging both sides to negotiate, but after its calls and initiatives were ignored, the African Union turned its back as well. Meanwhile, the Arab League has made no real efforts to push for negotiations between the warring parties. We see nothing in the media but the reports of various international agencies and organizations.
