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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
The humanitarian crisis in Sudan deserves the world's attention and outrage
Five food aid workers were killed this week, a state sanctioned military force claimed control of a major city, and in just the past two years, nearly 4 million people have fled their homes and becomes refugees. You might think I'm describing events in Gaza, but you'd be wrong. I'm talking about what's been happening in Sudan. It's the humanitarian crisis it seems that almost no one wants to talk about despite several global powers exacerbating the civil war and trying to use Sudan for their own advantages. We need to talk about why that is, why 4 million people fleeing their homes — a number roughly equivalent to the population of Oklahoma — hasn't garnered more attention. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is a background beat in the cadence of American news; while people disagree on whether starvation is being used as a weapon of war, the details and images of the conflict are readily available in our devices, and we experience a type of unfiltered access to what's happening there. People pore over every aid convoy movement and military strike launched since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, using those details to analyze what should, can or will happen to the more than 2 million residents of Gaza. We should care about what's happening to humans in Gaza, whether they be Palestinian or Israeli. We should also care what's happening in Sudan. We are objectively not seeing the same level of online discourse or public empathy for the people living in unspeakable conditions there. It's not that Sudan lacks national security or global trade importance; world and regional powers like Russia, China, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are deeply involved in the current conflict. It is fair to look at this dynamic — and our individual consumption of global news — and ask if the relative lack of concern about this crisis unfolding in Africa is because the people at the center of it are Black. Though the narrative about Sudan's civil war isn't framed in biblical terms, its people have experienced apocalyptic conditions. Two brothers in arms worked to overthrow a harsh, autocratic leader, leading civilians to victory in 2019. But the two brothers, paramilitary leader Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo and the army chief, Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, could not resist the lure of earthly power. Falling victim to the sin of pride, they turned against each other and set their armies to burning villages, taking conscripts and razing the land. Men, women and children were not spared the brutal fighting; many had already experienced similar horrors before they escaped Syria. Famine, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, was declared a reality in North Darfur last year. According to the United Nations, on Monday night, 15 trucks carrying food had traveled more than 1,110 miles from the Red Sea toward the famine area. The World Food Programme and UNICEF insist standard protocol had been followed and all parties in the area had been made aware of the convoy. Still, it was attacked approximately 50 miles from the destination, leaving five people dead. This would have been the first convoy of food aid to reach the area in more than a year, the U.N. reports. In addition to statements of outrage from the WFP and UNICEF, U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the United Nations condemns the 'horrendous attack in the strongest possible terms.' Still, the attack on humanitarian workers and the overall crisis itself have drawn minimal concern from inside the U.S. Sudan is attractive for trade and security reasons because of its location connecting the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa. When the fighting escalated in 2023, U.S. special operations forces dramatically airlifted 70 Americans to safety, then quietly stopped engaging in negotiations or diplomatic outreach. By 2024, the embattled Biden administration likely didn't find political sense in investing more resources into a region that Donald Trump had lumped together as 's---hole countries,' especially given the focus on a post-Oct. 7 Middle East. Meanwhile, Russia remains keen on establishing a Port Sudan naval base, its first on the continent, so it stands firm behind the current military dictator in Khartoum. The United Arab Emirates is accused of doing China's dirty work by supplying gold, bombs and howitzers to the opposition paramilitary group. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, picks around the edges of both groups to recruit for its never-ending war in Yemen. Major world powers are openly using military power and massive economic investments to twist Sudan's crisis to their advantage, while the United States withdraws from the region. Even in a power dynamic calculus, humanitarian aid is widely seen as having a soft power that extends beyond the most immediate need. But under the Trump administration and the auspices of the Department of Government Efficiency, the United States has callously zeroed out aid and refugee programs that otherwise could save millions of lives while also advancing American interests. That's all the proof we need that the United States, as a government and a public, is no longer even pretending to care about what happens to people in the Sahel and the least among us. This article was originally published on
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First Post
22-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Inside South Sudan, the country where the US is quietly sending migrants
The Trump administration has been accused of sending migrants to South Sudan, a country on the verge of collapsing into a civil war. Here's more about the nation which has been struggling since 2011 read more A Sudanese supporter of General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of the military council, holds a national flag during a military-backed tribe's rally, in the East Nile province, Sudan. File image/AP The United States is being asked to explain why it appears to be deporting migrants from as far away as Vietnam and Cuba to South Sudan, a chaotic country that's once again in danger of collapsing into civil war. A US judge ordered Trump administration officials to appear at an emergency hearing Wednesday to answer questions. The administration said it had expelled eight immigrants convicted of violent crimes in the US but refused to say where they would end up. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD If South Sudan is the confirmed destination, that means people from Vietnam, Mexico and elsewhere are being sent to a nation they have no link to, thousands of miles from where they want to be. Vietnam's list of its embassies in Africa shows the closest one to South Sudan is in Tanzania, over 800 miles away. South Sudan's police spokesperson, Major General James Monday Enoka, told The Associated Press that no migrants had arrived and if they did, they would be investigated and 'redeported to their correct country' if not South Sudanese. Some in the capital, Juba, worried their country would become a kind of dumping ground. 'Those people who are deported, some of them are criminals, they have been involved in crimes. So once they are brought to South Sudan, that means that criminal activities will also increase,' said Martin Mawut Ochalla, 28. This would not be the first time the Trump administration has pressured South Sudan over deportees. Recently, the administration abruptly revoked the visas of all South Sudanese, saying their government failed to accept the return of its citizens 'in a timely manner.' South Sudan pushed back, saying the person in question was Congolese, but later said it would allow him to enter 'in the spirit of maintaining friendly relations' with the US. South Sudan's government has struggled since independence from Sudan in 2011 to deliver many of the basic services of a state. Years of conflict have left the country heavily reliant on aid that has been hit hard by another Trump administration decision, sweeping cuts in foreign assistance. Here's a look at South Sudan, whose own people had been granted US temporary protected status because of insecurity at home. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A deadly divide The euphoria of independence turned to civil war two years later, when rival factions backing President Salva Kiir and Deputy Riek Machar opened fire on each other in South Sudan's capital, Juba , in 2013. The two men's tensions have been so much at the heart of the country's insecurity that the late Pope Francis once took the extraordinary step of kneeling to kiss their feet in a plea for lasting peace. Five years of civil war killed hundreds of thousands of people. A peace deal reached in 2018 has been fragile and not fully implemented, to the frustration of the U.S. and other international backers. South Sudan still hasn't held a long-delayed presidential election, and Kiir remains in power. Smoke is seen in Khartoum, Sudan. File image/AP His rivalry with Machar is compounded by ethnic divisions. Machar has long regarded himself as destined for the presidency, citing a prophecy years ago by a seer from his ethnic group. Earlier this year, the threat of war returned. Machar was arrested and allies in the government and military were detained following a major escalation that included airstrikes and an attack on a United Nations helicopter. Machar's opposition party announced South Sudan's peace deal was effectively over. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Let's not mince words: What we are seeing is darkly reminiscent of the 2013 and 2016 civil wars, which killed 400,000 people,' UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned. Some Western countries have closed their embassies there while others, including the US, have reduced embassy staff. The US Embassy's travel warning said that 'violent crime , such as carjackings, shootings, ambushes, assaults, robberies, and kidnappings are common throughout South Sudan, including Juba.' A country in disarray The Trump administration's pressure on South Sudan to take in deportees, including foreign ones, is in sharp contrast to Washington's past warm embrace as its rebel leaders, including Kiir and Machar, fought for independence. Now there is less support than ever for most of South Sudan's over 11 million people because of the cuts in US aid. Climate shocks including flooding have long caused mass displacement and closed schools. South Sudan's health and education systems were already among the weakest in the world. Aid organisations had offered essential help. South Sudan's government has long relied on oil production, but little money from that is seen, in part because of official corruption. Conflict in neighbouring Sudan has affected landlocked South Sudan's oil exports. Civil servants at times go months without being paid. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How South Sudan is equipped to handle migrants arriving abruptly from the US is yet to be seen.
Al Bawaba
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Dozens killed in intensified clashes between the Sudanese army and RSF in El Fasher
ALBAWABA- Sudan's conflict took a deadly turn this week as violent clashes erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in several regions, most notably in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. At least 62 civilians were killed, including 15 children and 17 women, following intense RSF shelling on the city, according to a statement by the 6th Infantry Division. In response, the Sudanese army announced it had killed 70 RSF fighters, including several commanders, and wounded dozens more while repelling the RSF assault. Many RSF combatants reportedly fled the scene. The escalation comes just days after RSF forces stormed and claimed control of the Zamzam camp for displaced civilians. El Fasher, a major urban center in Darfur still outside RSF control, has become a focal point of the group's military campaign. The humanitarian toll is worsening by the hour, as thousands flee the city on foot, facing extreme hunger and thirst amid the ongoing siege. Meanwhile, dozens of RSF fighters were reportedly killed in separate confrontations west of Omdurman. In a significant political shift, the Sudanese government announced it would allow diplomatic missions and international organizations to resume operations in Khartoum, claiming the capital had been 'cleared of the terrorist RSF militia.' Also Read Dozens killed since morning in continued Israeli assaults on Gaza The Sudanese government has allowed diplomatic missions and international and regional organizations accredited in #Sudan to re-establish their HQ in Khartoum, after the capital was cleared of the terrorist #RSF militia. — Sudan News (@Sudan_tweet) April 20, 2025 In a legal development that may signal a turning point, the Terrorism Court in Port Sudan has begun proceedings against 16 defendants, including RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemeti). The charges include the assassination of the governor of West Darfur, marking the beginning of what could be a broader accountability process.
The Independent
16-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Sudanese paramilitary group says its forming a rival government
A notorious paramilitary group fighting against the Sudanese military said it's forming a rival government that will rule parts of the country controlled by the group, including the western Darfur region where the United Nations says recent attacks by the group have killed over 400 people. Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the Rapid Support Forces, announced the move in a speech on Tuesday as the northeastern African nation marked two years of civil war. 'On this anniversary, we proudly declare the establishment of the Government of Peace and Unity,' Dagalo said in a recorded speech, adding that other groups have joined the RSF-led administration, including a faction of the Sudan's Liberation Movement, which controls parts of Kordofan region. Dagalo, who is sanctioned by the United States over accusations that his forces committed genocide in Darfur, said that he and his allies were also establishing 'a 15-member Presidential Council' representing all of Sudan's regions. The RSF has suffered multiple battlefield setbacks, losing the capital of Khartoum and other cities in recent months but has since regrouped in its stronghold in Darfur. That raises concerns that Sudan is heading towards partition — or a prolonged conflict like in neighboring Libya, where two rival administrations have been fighting for power for over a decade. The U.N. said Wednesday it was extremely concerned over the RSF's move and that 'preserving Sudan's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity is a fundamental principle for a sustainable resolution of the conflict and the long-term stability of the country.' 'The formation of a parallel government would not bring Sudan any closer to a resolution of the conflict,' U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, calling on the international community to find ways to help the Sudanese people end the war. Many countries, including the U.S., have rejected the RSF efforts to establish an administration in areas they control and condemned the signing by the paramilitary group and its allies what they called 'transitional constitution' in a Kenya-hosted conference in February. Sudan was plunged into chaos on April 15, 2023 when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open warfare across the country. Since then, at least 24,000 people have been killed, though the number is likely far higher, and about 13 million have been driven from their homes, including 4 million who have crossed into neighboring countries. The fighting has been marked by atrocities, including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in Darfur, according to the U.N. and international rights groups. Dagalo's announcement came days after his forces and allied militias rampaged through two famine-hit camps, which shelter some 700,000 Sudanese who fled their homes, in North Darfur province. The multi-day attack on the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps killed more than 400 people, including 12 aid workers and dozens of children, the U.N. humanitarian office said, citing local sources. Dujarric said Tuesday the attack forced up to 400,000 people to flee the Zamzam camp, which has become inaccessible to aid workers after the RSF and allied militias took control of it. ___ Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
Arab Times
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
Sudanese paramilitary group says its forming a rival government
CAIRO, April 16, (AP): A notorious paramilitary group fighting against the Sudanese military announced that it was forming a rival government, which will rule parts of the country controlled by the group including the western Darfur region where the United Nations says recent attacks by the group have killed over 400 people. Gen Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the Rapid Support Forces, announced the move in a speech on Tuesday as the northeastern African nation marked two years of civil war. "On this anniversary, we proudly declare the establishment of the Government of Peace and Unity,' Dagalo said in a recorded speech, adding that other groups have joined the RSF-led administration, including a faction of the Sudan's Liberation Movement, which controls parts of Kordofan region. Dagalo, who is sanctioned by the US over accusations that his forces committed genocide in Darfur, said that he and his allies were also establishing "a 15-member Presidential Council' representing all of Sudan's regions. The move came as the RSF suffered multiple battlefield setbacks, losing the capital, Khartoum and other urban cities in recent months. The paramilitary group has since regrouped in its stronghold in the sprawling region of Darfur. It raises concerns that Sudan is heading towards partition, or a prolonged conflict like that one in neighboring Libya where two rival administrations have been fighting for power for over a decade. The nation of South Sudan won independence from Sudan in a 2011 referendum that followed a war in which Janjaweed militias, a predecessor to the RSF, fought on behalf of the government. The Janjaweed were accused of mass killings, rapes and other atrocities. Many countries, including the US, have rejected the RSF efforts to establish an administration in areas they control. "Attempts to establish a parallel government are unhelpful for peace & security for the country, and risk further instability & de facto partition of the country,' the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs posted on X in March when the RSF and its allies signed what they called "transitional constitution' in a Kenya-hosted conference. Sudan was plunged into chaos on April 15, 2023 when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open warfare across the country. Since then, at least 24,000 people have been killed, though the number is likely far higher. The war has driven about 13 million people from their homes, including 4 million who have crossed into neighboring countries, and pushed parts of the country into famine.
