Hiiraan Online

By Abdirahman Adan Mohamoud
Friday April 19, 2024

 

Fighting broke out between the warring factions in Sudan exactly one year ago. What started out as a disagreement over the merge of paramilitary troops to national army, sadly, escalated into a violent conflict, resulting in widespread bloodshed, devastation, and disaster. Neither the national army nor the Rapid Support Force has been able to claim victory as they continue, till today, to battle for the control of key cities and critical infrastructures.
Coming from a similarly challenging experience, though lately on the recovery trajectory, a fellow sisterly nation- Somalia- I must have felt the pain and despair associated in such self-destructive and unforgiving developments. Deeply touched by this unfortunate situation, a year ago, my diary saw the following entries:
“Military confrontation erupted in Khartoum, Sudan between national army and paramilitary troops called Rapid Support Force. It is unfortunate that Sudan slides back to precarious situation in this holy month of Ramadan”.
Seeing no signs of calming down in the first week of the conflict, I jotted down the following observations in my diary.
“The fight in Sudan saw no de-escalation as deadly struggle between the national army and a powerful paramilitary group intensifies. Civilian death toll is on the rise, Khartoum airport seriously damaged, hospitals and homes shelled. Foreign countries are evacuating their nationals. This is the result of the greedy and irresponsible leadership. So sad for Sudan.”
The consequence of this conflict has been dire and much more devastating. According to the UN, the conflict created world's worst displacement crisis. It is described as one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in the recent history, where food supplies and violence against women and children are systematically weaponised. 8 million people are internally displaced while 2 million people sought refuge in the neighbouring countries and beyond. WFP warned that 28 million Sudanese face acute food insecurity in Sudan, South Sudan and Chad. (Conflict Between Warring Parties in Sudan Pushing Millions to Brink of Famine, 2024)
About 25 million people – of whom over 14 million are children – need humanitarian assistance and support. Alarmingly 17.7 million people – more than one-third of the country’s population – are facing acute food insecurity under a warning of potential famine. (Sudan: Key Facts and Figures - One Year of conflict, n.d.)
More than 10 million children in Sudan have been in an active warzone and less than five kilometres away from gunfire, shelling, and other deadly violence over the past year of war, said Save the Children. (Sudan's Year of War: One in two in the line of fire, n.d.)
Darfur, a marginalized region in Sudan is among those affected most and hit hard. RSF is accused to have been involved in ethnic rampage there. With thousands of RSF forces along with battle-hardened militias playing havoc, the region is largely turned ungovernable.
For years, the RSF has terrorised communities in Darfur and much of the region is lawless: militias and other armed groups attack civilians with virtual impunity. Recent evidence indicates that the RSF is involved in ethnic rampages within Darfur against communities such as the Masalits. (The Guardian, 2024)
A major geopolitical and proxy war dimensions are at display, drawing in numerous regional and international players.  These countries have been complicated in peddling Sudan's internal affairs, providing financial and military support to RSF in a bid to counter what they describe as a push back to a possible Islamist influence. (The Guardian, 2024). This regrettable development only serves to intensify and perpetuate the sufferings.
An international fundraising conference on Sudan held in Paris on the first anniversary of the conflict managed to raise some badly needed funds. World donors pledged more than $2.1 billion in humanitarian aid for Sudan after a yearlong war that has pushed its population to the brink of famine. (World donors pledge $2.1 billion in aid for war-stricken Sudan to ward off famine, n.d.)
“The world is forgetting about the people of Sudan” the UN chief warned on Monday, calling for a boost in humanitarian and a global push for peace to end a year of brutal fighting between rival militaries. (‘Concerted global push’ for Sudan ceasefire is essential: Guterres, n.d.)
Sudan, a huge African country, abundant in resources, a centre for civility, known with its rich culture and hospitable people is now reduced to a failed state whose population is at the brink of starvation.
Two diehard factions, headed by two warring generals; one heading the weakened national army and the other, a general with questionable credentials and wealth, often accused to have amassed it through illicit trade, backed by foreign forces, tragically relegated the once powerful and proud nation to a fragile, war-torn and an impoverished nation.  
With the unprecedented murder, mass destruction and forced displacement that have been unfolding for the past seven months in the Gaza Strip, Palestine with the blessings of many, the disastrous humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan is largely overlooked, allowing its perpetrators to evade accountability. That is if any humanity and moral obligations still exist in today’s world!

Sudan war is a forgotten tragedy, and the lives of millions of innocent people are shattered, destroyed and their pleas ignored!

Abdirahman Adan Mohamoud