Everything You Need to Know - SUDAN

1| An Introduction

Hi friends,

This book is long overdue. I have been meaning to write about Sudan for some time now, as the Sudanese people are facing collective violence, genocide, and displacement in a way which is so insidious in that there is very, very little media coverage on the war in Sudan. There is practically zero coverage on a mainstream news level, and online information from firsthand accounts is also scarce because of the constant internet blackouts in Sudan, and more importantly the immense danger posed to Sudanese persons who try to shed light on the horrors they are living through.

To provide a basic overview— the war in Sudan broke out on April 15, 2023 in the capital city of Khartoum between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Since then, ten months of conflict has given way to devastating destruction in Khartoum, which is Sudan's most developed region. The fighting has also spread to regions of Darfur in the west, and Kordofan in the south. Civilians in these conflict zones have been forcibly displaced under the constant threat of physical and sexual violence, primarily at the hands of the RSF, which has looted, destroyed, and settled in people's homes.

In the western region of Darfur, a campaign of ethnic cleansing is being carried out by the RSF against the Masalit tribe, with allegations of genocide levied against the RSF.

As of January 21, 2024, at least 13,000 - 15,000 people have been killed with reports of over 33,000 injured, and 5.6 million displaced from their homes. The war has been described by UN officials as  "one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history.

The war in Sudan may appear as an internal conflict, and while on the surface— sure. It is. But it is important to remember that nothing happens in a vacuum. In the very same way in which mainstream media news outlets and western leaders have framed the genocide in Gaza as a "War" brought on as a result of the Hamas' attack on October 7, with disregard for everything which happened prior to October 7th, being Israel's 75 year occupation on historic Palestine, in addition to the Palestinian men, women, and children being held without cause in Israeli prisons. Violence does not occur in a vacuum.

When African civilians are killed by their own governments, it is too often dismissed, aiding into centuries of propaganda which categorizes Africa as the "Dark Continent" when in reality it is anything but. Africa is a rich, beautiful land. Known as the Motherland, as she is the birthplace of human life. Her soil is abundant with resources that are torn from her bones in gross acts of mass exploitation and pure greed. From King Leopold II's seizure of the Congo in the late 1800's, to the horrors of the trans-atlantic slave trade, apartheid in South Africa, to the utter corruption which runs through so many governments in Africa— her land and her people are being choked, both by internal and external forces.

It is imperative to recognize that people are not their governments, and systemic violence is not endemic to Africa. Africa, the supposed "Dark continent" where the sun is so powerful that those of us who come from there are a testament to its light, observed by the very melanin in our skin.

But this is the human condition, for throughout history people have continuously harmed their own, killed their own, and abused their own. People will forever do unspeakable things to their own people in the name of greed and absolute power. It happens everywhere in the world. The distinction comes in how it is perceived. One could argue that the United States of America is at war with its own citizens, in the form of the housing crisis, gun violence, preschool-to-prison pipeline, or in terms of healthcare and education costs. Violence takes many different forms. But it is no secret that the violence US is seen through a very different lens in comparison to the violence and corruption wrought throughout Africa— specifically in this piece, in Sudan.

So let's get into it.
#KeepEyesOnSudan

All love,

Astoria <3

Sources

"Crisis in Sudan: What Is Happening and How to Help." The IRC, www.rescue.org/article/fighting-sudan-what-you-need-know-about-crisis. Accessed 14 Feb. 2024.

Donmez, Beyza Binnur. "UN Humanitarian Office Raises Alarm over Fighting in Eastern Sudanese State." Anadolu Ajansı, www.aa.com.tr/en/world/un-humanitarian-office-raises-alarm-over-fighting-in-eastern-sudanese-state/3087061. Accessed 14 Feb. 2024.