The Ongoing Civil War in Sudan: The Forgotten War and Humanitarian Disaster

In today's world, attention is almost entirely focused on two wars: the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Gaza conflict. Nations around the globe have poured significant resources into these conflicts, including weapons support, humanitarian aid, and media scrutiny. Ukraine and Gaza have received powerful media attention and, consequently, substantial aid and material support.

However, the Republic of Sudan, located at the same latitude as Ukraine and the Palestinian territories, is experiencing another intense war and brutal humanitarian disaster that most people have overlooked. This is the Sudanese Civil War, which erupted in April 2023 and has yet to see a ceasefire.

Sudan is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country. The northern region, including the capital, Khartoum, is dominated by nomadic tribes who practice Islam (with deep roots connected to the Arabs). In contrast, the majority of the population in central and southern Sudan are indigenous Black people who primarily engage in farming and adhere to local religions and Christianity. Muslims from the north have long held a dominant position in Sudan, with non-Muslim Black people from the central and southern regions subjected to oppression.

Due to religious beliefs, ethnic differences, and conflicts over interests, internal strife and violent conflicts are frequent in Sudan. The humanitarian disaster caused by the conflict in the Darfur region has been particularly severe and has long attracted international attention. The Bashir regime in Sudan has long tolerated the Janjaweed militia's killings and rapes of civilians from other ethnic groups in Darfur, leading to international condemnation and sanctions. The Darfur issue has also sparked intense disputes between Western countries and China and Arab nations.

The human rights situation in other parts of Sudan is also worrying. The corruption and tyranny of the Bashir regime have left the Sudanese people struggling with poverty and violence for a long time. Due to the significant differences between northern and southern Sudan, two civil wars erupted, leading to the independence of South Sudan in 2011 through a referendum. However, the newly independent South Sudan remains extremely poor and backward (identified by the UN and other institutions as one of the world's most fragile countries), while the remaining Republic of Sudan (North Sudan) has not escaped its plight.

In 2019, the infamous dictator Bashir was ousted. However, Sudan did not usher in the dawn of democracy but fell into a struggle among political strongmen. Various factions in Sudan are unable or uninterested in improving the economy and people's livelihoods, but they are keen on fighting for power and profit, not hesitating to use force.

In violent Sudan, the military is the most influential and decisive force. After Bashir's ousting, the Sudanese military and militias split into various factions, on one hand suppressing the public's protests for "returning power to the people," and on the other, engaging in fierce battles with each other. The "Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)" and their supporting militias, and the "Rapid Support Forces (RSF)" composed of militias including the former Janjaweed of Darfur, are Sudan's two most important military forces, experiencing the most severe conflicts, and are the main participants in this civil war. The former is close to the West and Israel, while the latter receives support from Russia and some African countries, with both sides also receiving support from some Arab countries.

The opposition RSF attempts to expand its power, constantly challenging the authority of the SAF. In April 2023, what were previously small-scale conflicts escalated into full-scale war. The RSF launched a fierce attack on the capital, Khartoum, besieging the army headquarters and SAF's main commanders. The SAF mobilized troops from all over to counterattack, and after weeks of fierce fighting, they recaptured most areas of Khartoum. However, in the RSF stronghold of Darfur, the SAF faced difficulties.

Beyond these two forces, there is also the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), which opposes the Sudanese government and the oppression by the "Janjaweed" militias against non-Arabic ethnic groups. The SPLM-N represents the resistance of Sudan's minority ethnic groups and those against Bashir, fighting against the atrocities committed by forces like the Janjaweed, with a certain level of righteousness. The SPLM-N also has close ties with the Sudanese Communist Party. While relatively weaker in strength, this force plays a significant role in the situation in Sudan.

As the war approaches a year, neither side can gain an absolute advantage. Amid the stalemate, Sudanese civilians have become the biggest victims. Khartoum, home to Sudan's elite, has turned into a battlefield, with many of the country's social elite dying in the war. In regions like Darfur, the RSF kills pro-government individuals as well as minorities and vulnerable groups, as they did before. Both sides have also committed the atrocity of raping women.

In the midst of the conflict, millions of Sudanese have been displaced, with some fleeing to neighboring countries like Egypt. According to BBC reports, many Sudanese refugees in Sudan are looted by soldiers, lack medical care, and live every day under the shadow of war and death, forced to flee. This includes a large number of women and children. Although the United Nations has tried its best to help, it is still a drop in the bucket. Egypt and other countries, due to their own limitations and bureaucracy, are indifferent to the refugees. Whether still in Sudan or fleeing abroad, Sudanese refugees struggle in adversity.

According to incomplete statistics, this war has already caused nearly 15,000 deaths, 33,000 injuries, and millions of people have been displaced or become refugees. Additionally, at least several thousand women have suffered rape(Due to the concealed nature of sexual crimes and the silence of most victims, the actual number of women subjected to sexual assault is likely several times higher, if not more than ten times, the official statistics).

Yet, this devastating war, which has been raging for ten months, along with the longer-lasting humanitarian disaster in Sudan, has been severely neglected by the international community. The scale of death, injury, and refugee numbers caused by the current war and related humanitarian disasters in Sudan are comparable to those caused by the concurrent Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Palestine conflict. However, the attention and aid received are disproportionately low. Even though many women and children in Sudan are in extreme pain and danger, they do not receive sufficient rescue and protection.

Why is this the case? The reason is not complex. Both the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine conflicts involve significant interests of the warring parties, especially concerning the interests and concerns of Western developed countries. China, India, Japan, and the Arab world also care a great deal about the impact of these two wars on their own interests and diplomacy. Therefore, all parties invest heavily in these conflicts, and international media pay strong attention.

However, the Sudanese Civil War involves fewer interests of other countries, and Sudan itself is not a core area of global power competition, making attention and investment less rewarding. This naturally leads to a lack of interest in the Sudanese Civil War from other countries. Humanitarian aid and concern from other nations often follow tangible interests. Since Sudan lacks the interest connections seen in the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine conflicts, humanitarian aid efforts are vastly different. (Though some countries have made slight investments in supporting armed groups in Sudan for "proxy wars," this not only does not help peace but adds fuel to the fire.)

Another reason for the neglect of the Sudanese Civil War and humanitarian disaster is the international community's potential discrimination and differential treatment of different regions and ethnic groups. Whether it's wars, terrorist attacks, or natural disasters, international attention tends to focus more on developed, influential countries and regions closely related to their own, neglecting those that are poorer, underdeveloped, and on the fringes of the world stage.

For example, terrorist attacks in Europe and America that result in a few to dozens of deaths receive global attention and widespread media discussion. In contrast, terrorist attacks and political assassinations in Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Latin America, even with higher death tolls, tend to be relatively ignored. 

Earthquakes in Japan receive condolences and coverage from around the world, while natural disasters in Asian, African, and Latin American "Third World" countries, even with higher death tolls, lack attention. The water and drought disasters occurring in places like Myanmar, Bangladesh, Uganda, and Pakistan have, despite resulting in the deaths of thousands and the displacement of millions, received limited international attention and assistance.

Although Ukraine and Palestine are not considered developed countries, their situations have drawn the world's attention, allowing them to receive more attention and humanitarian support as major countries focus on their own interests. However, as mentioned before, Sudan does not hold significant interests for other countries and thus does not receive the same treatment as Ukraine and Gaza. Even organizations that prioritize human rights and relatively neutral media may unconsciously treat similar humanitarian disasters in different regions differently.

This reality has become normalized, but it is fundamentally wrong. Regardless of any country, ethnic group, or class, all lives are equal and should receive equal respect and care. Due to various objective reasons, such as the imbalances in international political and economic development and the unequal discourse power of different countries and ethnic groups, unavoidable gaps in influence and impact exist. However, existence does not justify rationality, and the reality of "different values for different lives" should be changed.

Accepting and allowing the inequality of different ethnic groups in life, dignity, and discourse power is indulging in social Darwinism, leading humanity towards a modern jungle where the ends justify the means for superior survival. Even if this temporarily benefits developed and prosperous countries, it will only lead to more tense international relations and unrest in human society in the long run, with developed countries not being spared either.

Only by treating all sufferers in the world with equal concern, gradually eliminating the instrumental nature of humanitarian aid, and emphasizing humanity itself in countries' foreign policies and external assistance, can the world foster more trust, mutual aid, and unity. Only then can various oppositions and divisions gradually heal, and a harmonious and ideal society be realized.

Compared to other regions, African countries experience more frequent and intense civil wars, resulting in higher casualties and humanitarian disasters. Whether in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Angola, Rwanda, or Algeria, devastating civil wars have occurred, leading to deaths ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions. Sudan has also experienced two large-scale and prolonged civil wars. The international community should intervene promptly to end the current civil war in Sudan, to prevent a repetition of the more severe tragedies that have occurred in other African countries.

The Chinese version of this article was published on Lianhe Zaobao, cover photo from FRA