Al Jazeera Discovers Atrocities, Ignores US Complicity
Al Jazeera bravely reports on the RSF's systematic gang rape in Sudan, including infants, as confirmed by doctors. This graphic horror is shocking, as intended. What's less shocking, but conveniently unmentioned, is how these paramilitary forces gain their significant power and weaponry. The Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo, rose to prominence with support from various
regional and international patrons, including those often aligned with US interests in counter-terrorism and containing perceived rival influences. The very weapons inflicting this savagery often trace their origins back to a global arms trade where morality is outsourced to quarterly earnings reports. We are rightly appalled by the barbarity. But when will media outlets connect the dots from the
battlefield to the boardrooms and diplomatic backchannels? How many more 'deeply disturbing' reports must we read before we question the hands that indirectly arm and legitimize such regimes? One might wonder about the timing of such detailed exposé—valuable, yes, but also a masterful diversion from the broader ecosystem of violence. (After all, who would scrutinize strategic alliances when
there's an infant rape to report?)