“What is going on in Sudan is terrible, horrific stuff and knowing that so many countries and people around the world are profiting off this violence is awful,” senior Ethan He said. “We should all try and help in any way we can, or else this could be yet another stain on our collective consciousness.”
Sudan has gone through a tumultuous past few decades of political violence and civil war. A northeast African country with a vast amount of natural resources, it has been the target of foreign intervention for centuries. Sudan, a country of diverse cultural heritage, language and religion, is now in disarray. Ethnic violence is being committed on an unprecedented scale in the name of gaining control over natural resources, with the backing of foreign powers.
The current civil war in Sudan is being fought by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The two have been in conflict with each other officially since April 2023. The SAF represents the official Sudanese government, while the RSF is a heavily armed and structured paramilitary from the north trying to take control of the country. The RSF, in particular, is being heavily funded by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with weapons and supplies, while the SAF is funded by some other countries in the region but to a lesser extent, mostly relying on local funds for their military.
The RSF is made up primarily of Baggara Arabs, an ethnic group of nomadic pastoralists descended from the Arabs of North Africa. The SAF is made up primarily of the varying ethnic groups of central and southern Sudan, with more ancestry being shared with Sub-Saharan Africans. The difference in ethnicity between the two is crucial as the RSF Baggara Arabs view the darker-skinned people of central and southern Sudan as inferior and use it as justification for their indiscriminate violence. Using their race-based moral justifications, the RSF has killed thousands indiscriminately throughout cities, targeting civilians, in hospitals and schools along with combatants. In recent months, the RSF has been making crucial gains in its conquest of Sudan, seizing major cities every month. The RSF is also being accused of widespread ethnic cleansing. The most recent city captured by the RSF is AL-Fasher, a major city in southern Sudan that has made world news for the atrocities taking place there. Videos and images have surfaced from Al-Fasher that call into question whether what is going on there at the hands of the RSF constitutes genocide.
“I know the UAE is funding the RSF for the natural resources and lots of violence has come along with that,” senior Ali Manzoor said when asked about the conflict in Sudan. “It’s crazy over there, there are people dying in the streets by the hundreds. You can even see the blood from space. I feel like raising awareness about this is one of the most important things we can do. Every human should know what’s going on in Sudan right now, as well as help out to the best of their ability,” Manzoor said.
“I don’t think this is a simple civil war, as the media is portraying it. I think because the UAE is funding and backing the RSF so much, for their natural resources, it seems to me as if the people of Sudan are being taken advantage of by the UAE,” He said. “Over 10 million people have been displaced by the violence, which is insane to think about,” He said.
When asked about why the community should care about what is happening in Sudan, Ethan had a simple yet profound answer. “Civilian lives are being taken by the thousands,” He said.
There are many ways to help the Sudanese during their time of struggle. Education is incredibly important; keeping up to date on the war is the only way to respond in a timely manner. Boycotting is another form of action that can be effective; try not purchasing from companies with links to the governments supporting the genocide in Sudan. Money is one of the main things driving the violence in Sudan, so eliminating even a fraction of the funds the RSF receives can do real damage.
