A Sudanese girl who have fled from the war in Sudan with her family carry a box with some of her ... [+]
Nearly a year ago, in April of 2023, a conflict emerged in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Still raging on, the conflict, which is being labeled as a civil war, has claimed the lives of more than 14,000 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). Similar to many other African countries that were under colonial rule, Sudan has had a tumultuous history; following the period of British and Egyptian rule from 1899 to 1956, there was a “struggle for power and resources, with the divide between the Arab-Muslim north and the non-Arab, predominantly Christian or animist south emerging as a significant fault line,” indicates the Sudanese American Physicians Association (SAPA). The country’s first civil war took place from 1955-1972 because the southern regions of the country felt marginalized and from 1983-2005, religious and ethnic differences, and economic and political marginalization were among the many reasons why a second civil war ignited. In 2011, the southern region of Sudan gained its independence, and the Republic of South Sudan was formed.
Adlan Ahmed Abdelaziz, coordinator for the Sudan Human Rights Network (SHRN) shared, “The situation in Sudan has not received enough attention from the international community despite the horrifying reports on the humanitarian situation published by United Nations bodies such as the World Food Program (WFP), UNICEF, and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).” With reports indicating that nearly 18 million people are experiencing food insecurity, warnings from the United Nations suggest that the war could cause “the world’s largest hunger crisis.” In January of 2024, the Human Rights Watch reported that Sudan had the highest rate of internal displacement in the world at over 10 million people. Despite the ongoing crisis that has devastated the country, the war has gotten little coverage in the media.
Ameen Mekki, who runs an Instagram page to bring awareness and updates about what’s happening in Sudan, shared that many Sudanese people feel frustrated with the lack of coverage. “It’s a dire situation...it’s absolutely infuriating...the world is ignoring what’s going on in Sudan. We feel ignored....we feel failed by the international community.” Mekki went on to share how the war has impacted his family. “A lot of my family has had to make the perilous journey of crossing into Egypt through smuggling through the Egyptian desert, a very long and dangerous journey, while others have been internally displaced multiple times from Khartoum and later on Medani and Port Sudan. It feels like everyone is just waiting for the worst, unfortunately.”
TOPSHOT - Sudanese refugees who have fled from the war in Sudan get off a truck loaded with families ... [+]
Many of the harms being experienced in African diaspora communities are overlooked in the media; the current crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, and Sudan aren’t receiving adequate attention outside of social media. “Colorism plays a big factor in wars, genocides, who gets aid, who gets discarded and who’s [sic] voices get listened to,” wrote content creator Mayowasworld in an Instagram post. “Colonialism opened the doors for colorism. The idea of going into a country seeing dark skin African people calling them savages and demonizing them is the foundation of colorism.” The lack of media coverage when it comes to crises affecting darker-skinned people may be attributed to our racial empathy bias—we are less likely to feel empathy for the pain Black people experience compared to their counterparts. Colorism, anti-blackness, and our racial empathy bias may all play a role in the lack of media coverage the current war in Sudan is receiving.
It is important to continue to call out this lack of coverage but several other things can be done to support the Sudanese people during this time of crisis. “[Listen] to Sudanese voices...on the ground but also in the diaspora. We need to keep following the news in Sudan,” Mekki shared. “The situation is constantly developing and changing and we need to take a proactive approach to see what is happening on the ground, so we can know how best to help. Those of us abroad also have a duty to keep talking about Sudan. We’ve started the hashtag #KeepEyesOnSudan for this exact purpose, because unfortunately, we do not have that many sources on the ground from the mainstream media, so many times we rely on personal testimonies through social media and citizen journalism.”
The lack of media coverage when it comes to crises affecting darker-skinned people may be attributed ... [+]
“Write to your senator and congress representative to prevent another Rwanda genocide in Sudan,” Abdelaziz shared. In addition, we cannot underestimate the power of our voice and how impactful collective action can be, Mekki explained. “Both the RSF and SAF cannot continue fighting with no finances, as well as legitimacy. There is a lack of will from the international community to meaningfully engage with peace efforts in Sudan and unfortunately the result is that this conflict is speedily approaching its one-year mark and become the largest displacement crisis in the world.”
To learn more about the war in Sudan or to donate, click here.
