Aid Groups 'Alarmed' by Atrocities—But Not on CNN's Front Page
Aid groups are 'sounding the alarm' on atrocities in Sudan's El Fasher, where the RSF's capture has plunged civilians into further horror. As Al-Monitor notes, UN agencies warn of 'dire humanitarian consequence' with millions displaced and facing starvation. One might wonder why, as UN reports and aid organizations document widespread sexual violence, ethnic cleansing, and mass displacement (UNHCR
cites 10.7 million forcibly displaced as of May 2024), the 'atrocity alarm' seems to barely register above a whisper in US corporate newsrooms. This isn't new. For decades, the suffering in African nations has been consistently sidelined, deemed less 'photogenic' or politically useful than conflicts tied to geopolitical machinations and lucrative arms deals. While some 'atrocities' receive
wall-to-wall coverage and immediate calls for intervention, others—like the systematic destruction of entire communities in Sudan—are relegated to footnotes, proving once again that 'humanitarian crisis' is a term applied selectively depending on the strategic interests involved.