We Should All Be Talking About Sudan

Sudan is facing an ongoing crisis.  A bloody civil war has been ravaging the African nation for exactly two years as of April 15th.  The conflict has plunged the country into dire straits.  Extreme famine has taken over, and roughly half of the population is facing the possibility of succumbing to hunger.  Egregious human rights violations are commonplace, including rapes, and civilians and refugee camps being targeted.  This has resulted in tens of thousands of civilians being killed.  Disease outbreaks have become commonplace.  Dengue, cholera, and malaria epidemics have overwhelmed the country during the course of the fighting, and has contributed more deaths to an already extraordinarily deadly war.

These conditions are horrendous, and multiple United Nations agencies have repeatedly echoed these warnings to the international community.  Yet, it seems as though many people, particularly in the western world, at a minimum don't understand the seriousness of this situation.  It is somewhat understandable, considering the media have been discussing two other prominent conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, both of which the United States is deeply entrenched.  These conflicts are certainly important to understand, however the disaster in Sudan seems to be far removed from the psyche of the average American.  Why is this?  One only has to go back to the early 1990's to understand the US's stance when it concerns Africa.

The Battle of Mogadishu, better known as the 'Black Hawk Down Incident,' was a day long battle between a United Nations coalition and Somali militant groups.  During the course of fighting, three Black Hawk military helicopters were shot down by militant fighters, and an American pilot was captured.  Dead American soldiers' bodies were dragged in the street, resulting in a public outcry for the United States military to leave Somalia, which they did soon after.

This fiasco caused the United States to become weary of intervening in civil conflicts in Africa.  Although the United States government has sent aid to Sudan,  aid which has since been cut, it has not intervened directly, and likely will not do so.  This weariness may also explain why many Americans don't seem to understand that the war in Sudan is among the deadliest being fought at this moment, despite two other horrific wars making the majority of the headlines.  One can only wonder when, if, and how the civil war in Sudan can be rectified.  It may take years.  However, the very least we as citizens, government, and media can do in this country is start speaking out about the suffering of millions of innocent men, women, and children.

References

Swift, John. “Battle of Mogadishu.” Encyclopædia Britannica, March 17, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Battle-of-Mogadishu.

Magdy, Samy, and Fatma Khaled. “Famine and Atrocities Mount as Sudan’s Civil War Enters Its Third Year.” AP News, April 15, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/sudan-civil-war-two-year-anniversary-affaf351d8c0db5a3f704035d0ddac2a.