South Sudan's 'Offensive': Another Proxy War in the Resource Grab
📰 THE STORY: ABC News reports on South Sudan's government launching a 'major offensive' against opposition forces, attributing the violence to internal political instability and ethnic tensions. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: South Sudan's independence in 2011 was enthusiastically backed by Western powers, including the U.S., after decades of civil war with Sudan. While
framed as humanitarian intervention, the region's vast oil reserves (estimated at 6.7 billion barrels) and other critical minerals were a significant, if unspoken, factor. The U.S. provided substantial financial aid and diplomatic backing before and after independence, effectively establishing a new client state. The subsequent internal conflicts are not merely 'tribal' but deeply intertwined with
struggles over control of these resources, often exacerbated by external actors arming various factions for their own strategic gain. Remember the 2013-2018 civil war, which killed an estimated 400,000 people, largely ignored by the same media now reporting on this 'offensive.' Double Standard: When internal conflicts arise in nations deemed 'adversaries' of the West (e.g., Iran, Venezuela), the
media quickly points to human rights abuses and calls for intervention. When violence erupts in a U.S.-backed state like South Sudan, it's often framed as an unfortunate consequence of 'local politics' or 'ancient hatreds,' absolving external patrons of responsibility. This same selective outrage was evident in the Congo, where 10 million died under Leopold's brutal regime, fueled by European