BBC Finds Women Suffer in War, Forgets Who Funds It
While the BBC shines a heartbreaking light on the widespread sexual violence in the Amhara region, detailing how thousands of women have been raped, it maintains a convenient silence on the role of external actors and arms flows. This 'forgotten war' isn't forgotten by the defense industry, which profits handsomely from instability. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
reported a significant increase in global arms sales in 2023, with African nations often being major buyers. One might wonder why, with such 'forgotten' conflicts, these sales continue to surge. The BBC's narrative frames this as a tragedy emerging from a vacuum, rather than a symptom of a geopolitical landscape where proxy conflicts and regional rivalries are often fueled by major powers. When
narratives focus solely on the immediate human cost without questioning the supply chains of war, it essentially normalizes the violence while obscuring the economic and political interests that keep it burning. How many 'forgotten wars' does it take for us to question the arms dealers and the politicians who greenlight their lucrative trade?