Famine as a Feature, Not a Bug
THE ACTORS: Who's Stirring the Pot? The immediate culprits cited are the warring Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as 'Hemedti.' However, this binary simplification misses the puppet masters. The RSF emerged directly from the Janjaweed militias, notorious for atrocities during the 2003 Darfur
genocide. Their current strength and capacity for siege warfare, particularly around vital aid routes and population centers like El Fasher – a critical hub for humanitarian assistance – speaks to significant backing. Curiously, while the immediate focus is on localized conflict, the strategic capture of resource-rich areas and the destruction of agricultural infrastructure serve a larger agenda.
THE FUNDING: Keeping the War Machine Oiled Where does this money come from? Historically, the Janjaweed (and thus the RSF) received extensive training and funding from the Sudanese government, a government that, until 2019, was led by Omar al-Bashir, indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide in Darfur. Post-Bashir, various regional powers with vested interests in Sudanese gold,
agricultural land, and Red Sea access have bankrolled both sides. The United Arab Emirates, for instance, has been repeatedly accused by UN experts (2024 report) of providing arms and financial support to the RSF, funneling resources through entities like the UAE-based General Dynamic advanced services, which conveniently obscures direct state involvement. Meanwhile, the SAF has arguably received