The proxy war being waged in Sudan has reached a new level of urgency that demands the world’s attention. Reports by Al Jazeera indicate mass-civilian killings have taken place, leaving 1,500 dead, with bodies spotted on satellite images.
In 2023, clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary force (originally known as Janjaweed) Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took place in the country’s capital, Khartoum. This came after long-standing internal issues as well as external actors who played a significant role in the destabilisation of the Sudan. It has been recognised that many of the weaponry used are British-made and exported, making it possible that the United Kingdom is complicit in the conflict. This is a major concern as Western is in partnership through its International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems with BAE Systems – a British weapons manufacturer. As a Sudanese Australian watching my birth country fall into chaos has brought back the anguish and anxiety, I felt during the crackdowns against protestors in the Sudanese Revolution back in 2019. Frantic phone calls with displaced relatives and harrowing video footage from all over the country consumed WhatsApp group chats and Instagram feeds. Social disparities are highlighted as marginalised ethnic groups like the Fur and Zaghawa are being targeted by the RSF’s brutality. They have been subjected to decades of state violence that is increasing. While my family are not from these communities, we have firsthand experience with displacement, ethnic cleansing and state persecution from our homeland in the Nuba mountains.
The increase in violence is not happening in a vacuum; it’s a deliberate outcome by foreign actors who seek to control Sudan and its resources. Its gold and arable land makes it desirable to the United Arab Emirates who also back the RSF, and the United States which claims to condemn the RSF yet allowed a senior commander, Algoney Dagalo to visit Washington in October.
The biggest battle the Sudanese diaspora currently faces is the lack of media attention, despite the work of journalists and the ground footage coming from citizens. Sudan is a predominantly black and Muslim country which feels like we must advocate ten times harder for the issue to be taken seriously. The burden falls onto the already stressed-out community. This reflects the widely known racism within Australian media that does not platform informed community leaders.
What do we do from here? Sudanese groups have listed concrete steps we can take.
- Be vocal about the situation and use all available platforms to voice opposition.
- Support the peoples demands for a democratic Sudan free from imperialism.
- Learn about Sudan by supporting businesses, students, workers and youth. We are more than refugees and have much to offer.
I will end by reminding everyone Sudan’s freedom is tied to the freedom of others, from the African continent to Palestine to First Nations struggles. As always, Free Sudan.
