By David Firschau
The war in Sudan is a disaster that has largely been ignored by the public. ‘It is the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world. Nowhere else are more people starving, more people displaced from their homes than in Sudan. That alone should be of concern to Germany as one of the richest and most important countries in the world,’ says peace and conflict researcher Dr Gerrit Kurtz. tuenews INTERNATIONAL spoke to him about the situation in Sudan. At the same time, a huge refugee tragedy is unfolding there, which is also reaching Europe. According to the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, ‘over 10 million people have been forced from their homes since the beginning of the war, including over 2 million who have also left Sudan’s borders and fled to other countries,’ says Kurtz. He is a peace and conflict researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin. The scientist has been to Sudan several times.
What is happening in Sudan?
Devastating fighting has been raging in Sudan since 15 April 2023. After the ouster of Sudan’s long-time dictatorial president, Omar al-Bashir, in October 2021, a civil-military transitional government was supposed to be formed. This failed because two competing forces from the security sector feared too great a loss of power. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia founded by al-Bashir, and the Sudanese army (SAF) are fighting each other bitterly. ‘The war is being waged at the expense of the civilian population, and at the expense of a large proportion of the population,’ says Kurtz.
Since then, armed violence has spread like wildfire across large parts of the country. According to Kurtz, it is not possible to reliably determine how many people have died directly as a result of the war or indirectly as a result of its consequences. ‘We don’t have any exact figures.’ The official figure of over 20,000 is ‘definitely too low. We can assume that it is significantly higher.’ Added to this is the large number of refugees. Kurtz knows from official sources that at least ten million people have been forced from their homes. Two million of them have crossed Sudan’s borders. The militia RSF controls large parts of the country and the population, estimated to be at least 60 percent. Added to this is the looming food shortage. ‘25 million people are threatened by hunger. 750,000 are facing starvation.’ However, this figure is already a few months old.
The situation of refugees
According to UN figures, the two million Sudanese who have left their homeland have mostly fled to Chad, to the equally crisis-ridden South Sudan, to Egypt, to the Central African Republic and to Ethiopia. There they live in large camps under precarious conditions. There is not enough space for everyone. The crime rate in the camps is very high. Refugees are not only housed in neighbouring countries; most of them are in camps within the country. Medical care cannot be guaranteed there. Doctors Without Borders reports 13 child deaths per day in the Samsam camp alone. ‘We estimate that at least one child dies in the camp every two hours,’ writes the aid organisation, which is itself active in the camp. UN estimates speak of at least 100 deaths from starvation in Sudan every day, ’30 percent of children are considered acutely malnourished.’
Sexualised violence as a weapon of war
Comprehensive crimes against humanity are being documented and are happening almost every day. The means used by the SAF include, for example, the widespread bombing of major cities with missiles, but also the use of drones. The RSF, which was already known to be very violent, goes even further: ‘Unfortunately, we are also seeing a considerable use of sexual violence as a weapon of war to suppress the population. Ultimately, it is also used to depopulate certain parts of the country and to expel certain population groups,’ says Kurtz. There is also looting. The food crisis is also being used against cities and parts of the population. “There are areas and cities that are virtually under siege, such as Sannar or El Fascher,” says Kurtz. It is very difficult and very dangerous for people to leave the city or to come into the city for humanitarian aid: ‘Both main parties to the conflict have made it difficult.’
Population groups are deliberately targeted in the hostilities. The Masalit, who were already victims of genocide 20 years ago, are being persecuted primarily by the RSF: The militia is murdering their children, devastating their homes, plundering their belongings, raping their women and deliberately killing them. This ethnic cleansing, which violates every international law, has been reported on several times by the German television channel ZDF, including in August this year. The reporting did not generate much of a response.
The consequences for Germany and Europe
As Kurtz explains, ‘after al-Bashir was overthrown, Germany and Europe became heavily involved in Sudan. We have raised expectations and we have invested in them.’ The background: ‘Sudan is located in a strategically very important region, touching various sub-regions, the Middle East and the Red Sea’—in other words, it is located on one of the main shipping lanes between Europe and Asia. ‘Countries that are not well-disposed towards Germany, such as Iran or Russia, want to establish military bases there. With a base on the Red Sea, these countries could exert pressure on Europe by disrupting shipping—just as the Houthis, supported by Iran, are already doing.’ Sudan’s rich resources are also coveted. According to Kurtz, ‘Gold from Sudan has played a major role in enabling Russia to replenish its reserves and continues to strengthen the Russian state.’ The United Arab Emirates provides extensive support to the RSF. Among other things, they operate a drone base for the RSF for reconnaissance purposes next to a hospital on the border between Chad and Sudan.
What could help resolve the conflict?
The scientist Dr Gerrit Kurtz’s recommendation to politicians is to let the citizens of Sudan participate in the dialogue. From Sudan and in the Sudanese diaspora, ‘a great many civil actors are well networked and organised, and this is where one could start’. But the public also has a lot of influence. Parties and countries involved in the conflict could, for example, be sanctioned by the general public. Concerts could be cancelled or not attended, as has already happened, or sponsorship contracts could be terminated. ‘Celebrities, sports clubs or supporters of sports clubs that are financed by the Emirates airlines, for example,’ could exert pressure, says the peace and conflict researcher.
Further information in English and German
A longer article on the conditions in Sudan by Dr Gerrit Kurtz:
swp-berlin | Power relations in Sudan
Short reports
from the UN Refugee Agency: unocha | Sudan
from ZDF: ZDF | Bürgerkrieg im Sudan
and from DW: Deutsche Welle | Ethnische Säuberungen
& Deutsche Welle | Geflüchtete aus Sudan
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