The first time I heard of this vast, yet remote region tucked into the southwest corner of the African country of Sudan was in 2003.
I wasn’t nearly as educated, or entirely interested in geopolitics back then. Being a 19 year old aspiring writer with little education, guidance or even an idea of what I wanted to write about, I was in the midst of some heavy soul searching.
The news cycles were soaked with the typical doom and gloom in those days. It had been only two years since the 9/11 terror attacks, as a result, Anti Islamic fervor and paranoia were still prevalent, whilst overly patriotic flag wavers were enthusiastically donning their stars and stripes paraphernalia everywhere you went.
March 20 2003 was the date the United States officially invaded Iraq, claiming Saddam Hussain possessed a hidden cache of weapons of mass destruction. (Info courtesy of Britannica.com).The mainstream media, many of them still blinded by the tidal wave of Pro American patriotism that consumed the country post 911 attacks, initially lauded the Afghan invasion. Even the ensuing Iraqi campaign was applauded, and nearly every media outlet and major politician fell hook line and sinker for the “discovery ” of WMDs which were eventually proven to be a complete farce.
By the time I became aware, the Second Sudanese Civil War was in its twentieth year. The brutal, decades long conflict began June 5th 1983 and lasted until January 2005. (Info courtesy of cfr.org)
My memory being somewhat hazy these days I cant assuredly tell you the exact date of the article, but it happened to be courtesy of al Jazeera. In those days al Jazeera was very much still a credible, dare I say, cutting edge news source. The descriptions of not just the combat but the crippling effect the nonstop bloodbath had on the civilian population, especially in the Darfur region, was startling.
According to blackpast.org, over two million civilians perished as a result of the twenty two year civil war. That death toll is one of the largest of any conflict since World War II. Additionally, roughly four million people were displaced while the amount of victims of rape, torture and forced slavery remain unknown.
Following my introduction to this lightly reported, utterly forgotten tragedy, I watched a PBS documentary, Lost Boys of Sudan which originally aired in 2003. The film documents two boys journey from the miserable conditions of a refugee camp to their ultimate destination, the United States. (Info courtesy of pbs.org)
Over 20000 boys of the Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups were either displaced or orphaned throughout the late 1980’s. Children as young as 6 years old fled their homes in the war torn villages of South Sudan hoping to gain refuge in Ethiopia.
For over three months these boys trekked 1000 miles across the desert without adult guidance, risking starvation, dehydration, and animal attacks to reach their safe haven. After spending nearly a decade in a Kenyan refugee camp 4000 of the children were ultimately relocated to the United States. (Info courtesy of seedsofsouthsudan.org)
Personally the story of these particular boys was what affected me most. As a young adult barely out of my teens, the immense plight of such tender aged children really put my problems, and those of everyone else living in America into perspective. It stood then and stands today as a monumental dose of reality for someone prone to apathy and allowing menial problems to consume him.
From the onset I was sensitive about making such a catastrophic situation all about myself. If I were to convey my feelings in writing, or donate monetarily to people suffering so terribly, it should not be for my own satisfaction or for the accolades of others. My intention was to write an emotionally driven piece on the despair and suffering of the Sudanese people. Unfortunately after several attempts at expressing my feelings, but also putting the unfolding events into context, I failed to complete anything that I felt was up to standard … considering the subject matter.
April 15 2023 marks the official date of the current conflict in Sudan. Twenty years after the prior civil war ended the violence, widespread displacement and economic deterioration once again erupted.
In 2019 authoritarian dictator Omar al-Bashir (Left)was removed from power and forced into exile. The initial jubilation and optimism was short lived, as two years later a military coup dissolved the government in transition. The dissolution of the government caused a massive upheaval leading to political and economic turmoil which morphed into intense warring between rival factions. (Info courtesy of unrefugees.org)
The two primary combatants are the military government Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) whose leader Abdul Fattah Al-Burhan(Right) is the current de facto ruler of Sudan.
The other belligerent, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are a janjaweed lead paramilitary group that operates mainly from the Darfur region. (Info courtesy of crisisgroup.org)
The bulk of the fighting has taken place in the heart of the capital city Khartoum. A city of roughly 6 million people, being the epicenter of such ferocious fighting is a testament to the societal impact and carnage brought forth on the innocent victims of this brutal calamity.
As recent as the 5th of July 2024 a reported 7.7 million people are referred to as internally displaced, whilst 2.1 million have fled Sudan as refugees. Throughout 2023, the RSF have committed mass killings in several towns within the Darfur region. All of which has targeted Masalit civilians around the area of Geneina, a number of sources including: The Economist and Genocide Watch have described the actions as genocide. (Info courtesy of foreignpolicy.com).
Similar to my first exposure to this horrendous tragedy twenty years ago, the news cycles have widely ignored the crisis, in favor of the over saturation of Donald Trump trials, assassination attempts etc, and the steady decline of US President Joe Bidens mental capacity. (I’m certainly cognizant of the reality these media enterprises face and the need to publish stories that are relatable enough to make a profit.)
It also bears mentioning the coverage of the Palestinians extreme plight since Israel’s murderous incursion into the Gaza Strip has been much more extensive than in years past, yet the Sudanese suffering still goes mostly unnoticed.
According to the United Nations, over 25 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, the disintegration of food security risks are contributing to the “world’s largest hunger crisis.”
The United States and NATO have given a combined 175 billion dollars to the Ukraine to defend themselves against the Russian invasion. Additionally since the October 7th Hamas attack of Israel, the US government has provided roughly 12.5 billion dollars in military aid to fund the IDFs war of aggression against Palestine. (Info courtesy of globalaffairs.org).
It’s simply mind boggling, in a despicable way, that so many hundreds of billions of dollars are being granted to nations engaged in warfare whilst over 20 million people starve in Africa. Anyone with a conscious and half a brain can see how reprehensible these facts are to consider.
Why has Africa, mainly, been subjected to such disdain? Is it something as simple, yet loathsome as prejudice? Perhaps it’s the age old question countries such as the United States ask themselves when pondering such economic decisions, what’s in it for me?
The beautiful thing about funding wars, apparently, is there’s usually more to be gained than rescuing innocent people from starvation. According to usaid.gov, in the past decade the United States on average donates 8 billion dollars annually ( adjusted for inflation) to the African continent. Sounds wonderful, before you consider the nearly 200 billion dollars Israel and Ukraine has been allotted in just 2 years.
Africa, the cradle of human existence, victimized throughout history by forced servitude, colonization, and more recently climate change has been completely forsaken by the more “civilized” world.
The Sudanese are unfortunately just the latest example of this contemptuous treatment. I’m not ignorant to the reality that some situations cannot be solved by outside influences under any circumstances, but it’s the lack of effort, acknowledgement and empathy that enrages me more so than any attempted failures.
World Vision states that hunger in Africa leads to nearly two deaths per day for every 10,000 people. Due to conflicts such as the Sudanese Civil War these numbers are sure to increase.
The most I can do is raise awareness by publishing editorials like this one. We’re hoping enough souls will educate themselves on this humanitarian catastrophe, especially those of the proper means and sentiment to do whatever they can to lend some support to so many in need of so much.
A note from the Editor
Hi Rob, you are quite right on all counts, we are also guilty of letting this abominable situation continue to fester, so I have taken the liberty of making your last paragraph easier to read. Thanks for waking us up
Tony Broomfield
Another great site by the Dangerous Globe
