OWEN FUGIT / ASST. OPINION EDITOR

The people of Sudan are, unfortunately, familiar with civil war. Since the nation’s independence in 1956, there have been three major civil conflicts. However, the past 30 years have seen a new issue spark and eventually boil over into the civil war that is playing out across southwestern Sudan today. 

Both sides in this conflict have committed heinous atrocities against the civilian populations of Sudan, leaving almost 25 million people facing acute hunger and displacing 13 million people. 

The United Nations (UN) estimates that it will take at least $6 billion in aid to meet the needs of tens of millions of at-risk Sudanese citizens.  Critically,  for  a conflict with such a large impact, it seems the war in Sudan never makes headlines here in the United States. 

UN-mandated aid programs receive only half their required funding, and the war shows no signs  of  stopping.  It  is  imperative that students, governments and news organizations alike begin discussing this crisis and expand their efforts to bring peace to Sudan.

There are many competing views on how this war  came  to  be.  But  to  state  it  simply,  this  war is a power struggle between two former — but unlikely — allies. 

For 30 years, Sudan was ruled by an authoritarian general named Omar al-Bashir. In 2003, to combat a rebellion arising in the western region  of  Darfur,   Bashir  sent  weapons and  money  to  Arab  militias  in  the  area, known  as  the  Janjaweed. 

Over time, the Janjaweed restructured into the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — a paramilitary group headed by the infamous Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti. 

Hemedti and the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, joined forces in 2019 to oust Omar al-Bashir from power. A transitional  civilian  government  panel  was established. However, in 2023, after a dispute over integrating the RSF into the larger SAF, Hemedti and Burhan’s power struggle  snowballed  into  the  civil war rocking the nation today.

With so many millions of lives now at risk, one might imagine that this conflict would take center stage in the media here at home. Anywhere from 150 to 400 thousand people have been killed as a direct result of the war, with tens of millions more displaced and starving. As so many other important international conflicts rage, Sudan seems to be underrepresented in the national media by comparison. 

Dr. Mary Brinson, an adjunct assistant professor of communication here at USD, revealed the driving forces of news in the United States. 

“U.S. journalism is a for-profit industry, therefore news editors are going to feel pressure to air stories that will keep viewers watching/listening/reading,”  Brinson said. “This is usually driven by some key elements of what makes something ‘newsworthy’ in the US that are related to the ego-centric characteristics of the US press: proximity, relevance, drama/conflict.”

Leilani Youmans, a USD junior studying international relations sympathized with Brinson’s explanation. 

“I feel like with Ukraine, there’s a clear villain and clear victim,” Youmans said. “But in the Middle East, there’s so many  different  narratives  and  so  many  different sides that it’s hard to get a clear scope of everything.”

Many media personalities have been quick to point out that the gravity of the situation should warrant protests and public discourse, but clearly, that has not manifested. Both Youmans and several other  students   claim   the  media outlets responsible  for  informing the public are not doing  their  job  correctly. Brinson — whose research covers areas of anti-Muslim bias in American news — explains how Americans may have avoided the conflict in a Muslim-majority country. 

“In terms of national interest, the conflict does not involve our allies and it does not pose a direct threat to the United States,” Brinson said. “In terms of proximity and relevance,  we  can  look  at  this  as  an  example  of  a  country  that is geographically far but more importantly — culturally distant from us. Since 9/11, Muslims  have   been   portrayed  in   the news  as   being   the   ‘other.’   They  have  been  portrayed  as too  different  from  us  in  terms  of language,  culture,  beliefs,  ways of praying, etc… If Americans see them as terrorists, then it is understandable why we would not care if they are destroying each other.”

Data from Google Trends — which compares the relative popularity of different search terms over time — shows that in both news and web search categories, Sudan receives almost no interest compared to other wars. Google data trends also confirm that the median weekly relative search interest for the war in Sudan is less than one out of 100, while the war in Gaza scores near 50 out of 100 on the relative search index. 

It would be incorrect to assume that the war in Sudan deserves more coverage domestically simply because higher volumes of people are affected than in other concurrent issues. However, given the seriousness of the situation and the millions of lives it endangers, it seems unfair for this conflict to be so criminally underrepresented in institutional news outlets. 

As college students at a school widely recognized for its outstanding global impact and commitment to peace, we have  a  unique  insight  and responsibility to advocate for causes that would otherwise go unnoticed. When it comes to Sudan, we  have a clear obligation to at least stay informed.  Brinson explained why it  is imperative that students learn about foreign affairs.

“We live in a globalized world,” Brinson said. “We should have political  knowledge of global humanitarian crises and atrocities that other humans experience. This would make us less ego-centric, and would help us acquire more empathy for groups of people that are dissimilar.  By not covering these  events,  we  are  saying  that  they  are  less  human or  less  deserving  of  our  attention. This contributes to the cycle of   in-group  and  outgroup  conflict.”

It is imperative that students begin to discuss the war in Sudan as soon as possible. UNICEF is still short on funding.On-campus organizations committed to making a difference can directly support starving families in Sudan with fundraisers and awareness campaigns. Students must remain cautious, too, as much of the news claiming to tell the “truth” about the conflict is looking to repair the image of one side or another. 

Take SAF leader and instigator of this very conflict, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. His recent article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), titled “The Truth About the War in Sudan” is appalling. Why the Wall Street Journal would invite Burhan — the architect of two subsequent military coups and the leader of an army accused of war crimes — to pretend that he represents the best interests of the people of Sudan is beyond my understanding. 

Sudan’s civil war lacks the heavy coverage that the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza wars received. Because of this, students who want to learn more need to approach the subject with a critical eye. Burhan and Hemedti do not have Sudan’s best interests at heart, and any source advocating for one of these generals over the people of Sudan is not a source that can necessarily be trusted. 

With so much at stake in Sudan, there is one major question  we  must  ask ourselves: how   can   we   fix   the  problems  in  Sudan  as  students  here  at USD?  It starts by understanding precisely what is  happening.  Once  we  know  this,  then  we  can  begin  to  fight   for  humanitarian  aid  and assistance  for  the   victims of  the war.

Brinson  suggested  ways that students at USD can stay informed on the war in Sudan.

“Avoid cable news,” Brinson stated. “Rely on sources such as Reuters, The Associated Press or New York Times. Also try to add some international sources to your media diet, such as BBC or Al Jazeera.”

We know that this conflict will end one way or another. But, as Americans, we must understand   how   much  influence and power  we  possess in this region. If the United  States  fully  commits  to  peace  and  democracy  for the Sudanese people, while stripping    power    from   the  men   responsible for  this war, I believe that this  conflict  could be   resolved   expeditiously.  But   it   will  require  engagement with a subject  that  has  no  direct  bearing  on  our  best national interests, save for global   peace. This is why  it is so important for students to  advocate   for  Sudan  and  engage with their representatives in Congress and the Senate. 

The war in Sudan is quite complex in its beginnings, but we have the chance to bring a decisive end. By educating ourselves further on the history and context of the war, by choosing to discuss this underrepresented topic with people in power and by donating to organizations like UNICEF, we can do our part as changemakers to bring relief and an eventual end to this devastating conflict.