Did the West mishandle the Sudan conflict? Activists say it might have
5 Min Read
DW claims that the West has mishandled the situation in Sudan, though it is not in the way one would imagine.
-
Jordanians evacuated from Sudan arrive at a military airport in Amman, Jordan, April 24, 2023. (AP)
The people of Sudan are dissatisfied with the role played by the West in their country in light of the ongoing infighting that has left hundreds dead and thousands stranded hundreds of kilometers away from their homes.
According to DW, the conflict taking place between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), has the population bitter about the West's interference in their country.
Citing activist Hamid Khalafalla, DW highlighted that he complained about the military coup that took place 18 months ago going "virtually unpunished", i.e., the West did not interfere as much as desired.
The German media outlet also highlighted how the head of the Sudan and South Sudan Forum, Marina Peter, claimed that the war in Sudan was a homemade one, blaming it on the problems that have been sidelined for decades and went without being dealt with, including the struggle over the country's resources, though this completely ignores the colonialist nature that leads to the founding of Sudan altogether and the status quo of the power structure in it.
Peter, however, told DW that the West's biggest mistake was in 2019, the year that former Sudanese leader Omar Al-Bashir was deposed. The blunder, she argued, was "not allowing a large portion of the population to participate in the discussions and negotiations."
The activist also claimed that the West should have sanctioned the generals earlier after the collective West took to freezing developmental aid to Sudan for an extended period of time as a means of pressuring its leaders.
Read next: Sudanese military has right to request int'l assistance: Spokesperson
She also did, however, acknowledge that the West "had definitely worked with Al-Bashir, partially due to fear of more migration" after underlining that its approach proved to the former leader's allies that the West was limited in its ability to take action.
The over-reliance on the military was also an issue cited by the activist, who said: "Sudanese activists and foreign experts repeatedly warned that the military, especially Hemedti, couldn't be trusted and that relying on them would make a long-term solution impossible."
Meanwhile, activist Ahmed Esam from the organization Sudan Uprising Germany said he could not fully blame the West for the situation in Sudan, claiming that their failure was in their lack of support for the opposition and refusal to acknowledge its Western ideology.
"The resistance committees were ignored. Instead, the western states relied too much on the old forces," he added, according to DW.
Why is the West trying to frame it in this sense?
Sudan is a highly important, resource-rich regional state, as it makes for an additional gate into the African continent for the West to utilize in its goals for the region; and what better way is there for the West to carry out its imperialist ambitions other than through the Israeli occupation?
The West is trying to frame the situation in Sudan as one where more intervention would have helped, and this comes at a time when "Israel" is concerned about its normalization process with Khartoum being jeopardized by the conflict.
An Axios report from last week said the Israeli occupation had been in contact with generals of both the Sudanese Army Forces and the RSF, urging them to stop fighting as "Tel Aviv" fears that the ongoing clashes will hinder the formation of a prospect of an Israeli-allied civilian government.
Check out: ‘Israel’ fears Sudan clashes may jeopardize its normalization process
The entity has built strong relationships with both warring generals, Al-Burhan and Hemedti, and their descent into armed conflict puts it in a peculiar position.
Then-US President Donald Trump brokered normalization agreements between the Israeli entity and several Arab heads of state in 2020. However, the military takeover of Sudan led the US to suspend aid to the country and freeze normalization efforts.
Before clashes ensued, Israeli officials said they were actively following up on the process of appointing a civilian-led government in Sudan.
The White House has also pushed Israelis to mediate a ceasefire deal between the fighting generals. Hemedti was approached by Mossad while the Foreign Ministry spoke to Al-Burhan.
Fighting in Sudan's capital entered a second week Saturday as crackling gunfire shattered a temporary 72-hour truce, marking the latest battles between forces of rival generals that have already left hundreds dead and thousands wounded.
However, a brand new ceasefire was reached on Monday as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday evening that Sudan's warring generals have agreed to a three-day ceasefire beginning Tuesday.
