To wonder why there isn’t more uproar about Sudan?

[AngeloMysterioso]

Sudan- where the actual worst humanitarian crisis in the world is happening right now. War, starvation, displacement of millions of people, suffering on a scale like nowhere else in the world. And yet it’s being virtually ignored. There have been maybe half a dozen threads about Sudan on mumsnet in the last year or so, compared with dozens discussing Israel/Gaza. On social media, for every one post I see mentioning Sudan, I have probably seen 20 or more about Gaza. Save The Children, for example, has posted seventeen times about Gaza in the past month and only once about Sudan.

Why? Why is Sudan being ignored while such a glaring light is being shone on Gaza? Is it because there are no Jewish people to blame for the Sudanese conflict? Or because the people suffering are black?

Could say the same about Yemen, another forgotten humanitarian crisis.

It's a civil war that looks like it is being funded by UAE, Libya and kept going at least in part by various MENA countries/ neighbours, in a state that the UK itself set up in the 50s for Suez reasons. It's not like folks are just killing each other randomly.

But, the present UK government is distanced enough both in terms of time passing and current alliances that it can strategically stay at arms' length from what's happening now and I guess there's a valid argument to not get into any dispute we don't have to with an OPEC even if that OPEC is - allegedly - funding genocide.

Sudan is an ex British colony. Surely we should feel more responsible for the ethnic carnage going on there than in Gaza?

I agree, @Multispool . Sudan has struggled since it became independent in the 1950's. Between civil wars and dictatorship, the people have never experienced peace and freedom. I think that's part of the reason we don't hear more about it.

Also, the poverty and conflict in Sudan is seen to be essentially an internal matter, they haven't been attacked by an invading army, so it's not newsworthy in the way that the Gaza war is.

Unicef have an appeal running for aid in Sudan: Unicef Sudan appeal

Surely we can talk about both - indeed ALL places where violence is taking place.

I don’t think it is racism actually and I don’t deny that those forms of racism can and frequently do exist. I think it’s that sub Saharan Africa is just synonymous with poverty, disease and war. We’re used to it. Awful, but true.

This is such a middle-class MN thread by people not suffering in their own lives so they're outraged by people in the UK not dedicating thought to the Sudan.

I normally hate the idea of privilege but this is the epitome of it.

Middle class posters virtue signalling about why people in the UK aren't concerned about a country 3000 miles away.

Get a grip.

We and other Western Nations very much facilitated the Saudi led intervention in Yemen, which caused unimaginable suffering.

I am absolutely appalled by what is currently happenign in Gaza and fervently hope for a ceasefire. However I do think Gaza and Palestine gets more attention from a certain type of activist as it is one of those omni causes that is baked in to to a certain political vew point - mainly as a proxy for hating the USA.

NB that does not mean I don't think what is currently happening there isn't absolutely horrific.

The media tend to only cover one foreign story at a time, though Channel 4 News does a better job than most.

People can talk about both, neither or either.

But that’s not what OP is doing. This thread is goldplated whataboutery.

Perhaps we are not directly involved in the Sudanese conflict but we certainly have plenty of links with countries that are. And regardless of that, the end result is the same. Suffering, starvation, death. In the threads about Gaza there is little mention of how our government is involved, it’s just condemnation of Israel and despair over the suffering of Palestinians. Where is the condemnation of the war mongerers in Sudan? Where are the bleeding hearts for the children dying of starvation? Nope just deafening silence.

I haven’t been silent. I’ve posted, I’ve been to rallies and fundraisers, I’ve written to politicians, I’ve donated to charities... coming home from an event a few months ago I was carrying a Sudanese flag and a passer by actually stopped me to let me know it wasn’t the flag of Palestine. Like thanks love, I actually did know that. They thought I’d made a mistake.

I think this is sad but also true.

That you can dismiss a thread about the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet as nothing but “whataboutery” says an awful lot more about you than it does about me.

I can't work out whether your question is genuine, or whether you are obliquely having a pop at those who criticise Israeli policy on, and practice in Palestine?

But to take your question at face value, and consider only Sudan and not the many other international conflicts and human rights atrocities currently occurring across the globe, I think the conflict in Sudan feels impenetrable to many casual observers on account of it being a civil war. I have worked with Sudanese immigrants and asylum-seekers (among other nationalities) for decades and the layers and intersection of conflict are so complex that it is unclear what, if anything, a lay-person can feasibly do to influence impactful change. The conflicts we tend to see strong public engagement with are often those where ordinary people feel they can contribute in some small way to show solidarity with an obvious underdog, effect a resolution or relieve suffering.

I think it's really because it hasn't featured hugely in the media - and it hasn't featured hugely in the media because there's no major event to capture everyone's attention and there's no impact to people in the UK.

It's a civil war that's been on and off for decades with numerous coups in between, the misery rumbles on endlessly. I can't imagine all the people there have been through, I really hope they get peace and democracy soon.

Please for god sake make your post about Sudan and not about Israel/Gaza. What do you think we should be doing about Sudan? How can we make an impact? Who should we be putting pressure on?

Do you actually care?

I don't think people have the capacity to treat absolutely everything as their immediate and most pressing issue of the day. For a lot of people the fact that the UK is supporting a country actively committing a genocide is a defining factor. It's not that fucking hard to work out so can we just dispense with the fake confusion and pretence of not understanding.

It doesn’t involve Jews that’s why.

Can western journalists even get access to Sudan to report what is happening?

Gaza is over 2000 miles away, plenty of people doing an excellent job of appearing to be concerned about that

The fact that you start this thread and blithely pull this up but ignore all the people calling Palestine a 'trendy uproar' and 'fashionable' says plenty about you actually.

I think the most immediately impactful action would be to pressure the USA to restore its foreign aid because the withdrawal of that funding is what's caused the most pressing hunger.

For the rest, I guess lean on UAE, but that's probably already happening (one would hope, anyway) to a quiet extent that doesn't put us in a bad position with them.

Sudan isn't fashionable

We have plenty of links with countries supplying arms to the conflict, for example China, Turkey, and most especially the UAE. I have written to my MP appealing for sanctions to be placed on those countries to pressure them to stop.

The suffering and abuse of children is endemic and horrific. Donations can be made to UNICEF and the World Food Programme which are running specific fundraising appeals for Sudan.

I have attended several protests and rallies in London this year - there don’t appear to be any more currently being organised but I plan to go to as many as I can.

Haven’t said that myself though have I? Or am I proxy for everyone else who comments now?