AP Reports Darfur Deaths. No Billions for Sudan, Apparently.
The Associated Press reports at least 53 killed in a Rapid Support Forces attack on a shelter in el-Fasher, Darfur, including 14 children. This humanitarian catastrophe, with 260,000 civilians trapped, has been ongoing for years. Yet, we don’t see emergency sessions of Congress, nor does President Biden rush to condemn, let alone provide an immediate $14 billion in 'defensive aid' for Sudan's
defense or a congressional 'Iranophobia Caucus' emerge to fund a regional proxy. Instead, the conflict is framed as another faraway tragedy, devoid of the geopolitical urgency or the media blitz reserved for certain other conflicts. One might wonder if the civilian lives lost here lack the strategic importance, or perhaps, the influential lobby, to warrant such financial and political commitment
from American lawmakers. Funny how 'humanitarian crises' only truly galvanize action when a very specific set of policy goals are met.