If you were asked to name a couple of the world’s most important conflicts currently, what would you say? The Israel- Palestine conflict? Russia and Ukraine? How about the current conflict in Sudan? Sudan’s wars and history are so often overlooked, yet it has been in a state of conflict for almost 70 years straight. And right now, that conflict could have impacts far beyond the borders of Sudan.
Sudan’s history of violence starts with the British. The British colonized Sudan in 1899, which, like most of other cases of imperialism, came with many issues, but we will not touch on this topic in this article. One thing we do have to look at in regards to the British is a several of their policies. In Sudan, there had always been a minority Arab population, and a majority African population. The Arabs were more concentrated in the north, and the Africans in the south, the north being the more developed of the two. Because the British wouldn’t be able to stop a direct revolt against colonization, they needed to create internal conflict, and so they developed a “divide and rule” policy that separated the north and south. The British neglected the south, developmentally wise, and pushed the north into economic and industrial growth. This policy, along with a series of others, kickstarted a conflict between the north and south that would long outlast the end of British colonization in 1956.
Once the British had left, the Arab north easily took control of the whole country and, seeing the Africans as inferior, oppressed the south. The south were promised more autonomy, but were given none. This sparked the First Sudanese Civil War, which started just before the British left in 1955, and ended in 1972, with the south ultimately getting what they wanted: An official southern autonomous zone. This satisfied the south. However, when Islamic Fundamentalists of the north gained control of the country in 1985, the southern autonomous zone was dissolved. This started a second civil war, which lasted until 2005. It ended with an agreement to allow the south to break off and become a fully independent country, and so, in 2011, South Sudan became a new country.
When this happened, most of the people in the original Sudan were Arab, but some Africans remained in a western province, Darfur. In 2003, several African rebel militias worked together to carry out violence against the government because they felt that the government was oppressing the non-Arab population in Sudan, which was true. The government ordered the army, also called the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, and an Arab paramilitary organization, the Janjaweed, to brutally suppress the rebels. The government tasked the army with one goal: eradicate the Africans. Crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture sex crime, genocide: all of these atrocities were commonly committed by the SAF and the Janjaweed against the African population as they fought against the rebels. Some four hundred thousand Africans were killed. Mercifully, seventeen years later, the slaughter was finally ended with a peace treaty.
This was not the end of the violence, however. In 2021, the SAF and the Janjaweed, now called the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, joined forces to overthrow the government. They were successful, but in 2023, the two groups started fighting for power. The RSF, meanwhile, has resumed its campaign to kill Africans in Darfur. The RSF has been credibly accused of genocide. Already, ten million people have had to flee their homes. Countless cities have been sacked. Children are being hired. Civilian areas have been bombed. And one of the biggest problems is the fires. Both sides have been using fire in combat, and those fires have spread to farms. There is a massive famine currently in progress. According to The Economist, six to ten million people could die from starvation by 2027. A scene described by a African man, Jamal, is documented by Human Rights Watch:
Jamal was living in El-Genina, a city in Darfur. The RSF surrounded the city. The majority of the residents in the city were African. Everyone needed to try to evacuate the city. Many huge car caravans were formed and tried to escape. At one point, the caravan that Jamal had joined was confronted by eight Arab militiamen. They attacked the caravan, and the people of the caravan dispersed. Jamal hid in some high grass. He watched as people ran down into a valley to try to escape, but were hopeless. The militiamen killed everyone in sight. There was eventually an opening to run back into the city. As he ran through the streets, he had to run past hundreds of dead bodies lying on the ground. Mutilated bodies that obviously had been put through deliberate misery and torture. He made his way out of the city and found another group trying to walk to the neighboring country of Chad for refuge. The RSF were not far behind, though. A group of armed men found the group and attacked. A bullet shower commenced, and people were dying left and right. A crying 9-year-old child came up to Jamal and grabbed his arm. The group then ran to a trench and hid, but the RSF spotted them. The militiamen forced Jamal and the others out and started to beat and torture them. The militiamen stripped everyone of their belongings. Then everyone was forced to lie down on the ground. The militiamen used metal rods and whips to beat them. The nine-year-old boy who grabbed Jamal’s arm was still beside him. After some time, the boy couldn’t take the beating anymore, and he stood up and ran. They shot him in the head immediately. The remaining people were interviewed, and were asked what tribe they belonged to. Jamal knew that if he said he belonged to the African tribe he did belong to, he would be executed. So he lied, and said he was part of the Arab Bogo tribe. They tested him by speaking the language, and luckily, Jamal knew it. He was allowed to leave. He did make his way to Chad alive.
The other countries of the world have done nothing to help, and in fact, some actions have been taken by outside influences that have made the situation worse. Some countries, such as the United States, have done very little to attempt to salvage the situation in Sudan. And the population of the US is, on average, unaware of the history and the situation. Both the government and the population are too absorbed into the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, and worrying about China. This is a huge problem, because a big component to ending the genocide in Darfur in the 2000s was the indictment of the Sudanese president due to international pressure. An action like this has not even been considered yet.
Other countries are supporting either side of the war. The UAE is supplying resources to the RSF, Iran and Egypt are supporting the SAF, and Russia is supporting both sides and deploying mercenaries. Many other countries are trying to grab a piece of influence. All of these countries have different goals, and disregard any attempt at abating the carnage. The conflict has resulted in huge waves of refugees. So far, two million people have fled the country, and eight million people have left their homes but stayed in Sudan. And with the situation only getting worse and spreading, and the threat of starvation looming, more and more people will start flooding out of the country. Sudan also borders the Red Sea, which is connected to the Suez Canal. If the chaos spreads that direction, it could affect the trade going through the Suez Canal, which is a route used by 12% of all trade ships.
The history and situation in Sudan is so often overlooked, but it is so important for so many reasons. It is a huge mistake that is being made by all of the countries around the world. If the people in powerful positions around the world won’t focus on Sudan by choice, then the population of the world has to work together to force it onto their agenda. Earlier this year, huge protests erupted around many colleges in the United States where college students would demand peace in Gaza. There haven’t been any protests demanding peace in Sudan. And while the conflict in Gaza is extremely important and should be at the forefront of the leaders of the world’s minds, all large-scale conflict should be, especially conflicts with such high death counts that will cause damage outside of the country of origin. The fact that conflict in Sudan has been allowed to continue on and off for 75 years is unacceptable. Work must be done to create a lasting peace. The people of Sudan can’t wait any longer.
