Sudan Famine: Another 'Proxy War' We Can All Ignore
The story from Al Jazeera paints a bleak picture: Heglig oilfield seized, Kordofan battles raging, and UN aid cuts triggering famine. It's the classic 'tragedy from afar' framing. These are civil wars, ostensibly, yet the world's major powers, particularly the US, have a long history of meddling via arms shipments and proxy support. For example, during the Cold War, the US supplied weapons to
various factions across Africa, often destabilizing regions for decades. Today, the focus remains on 'humanitarian aid'—a band-aid on a bullet wound inflicted with Western-made arms. One might wonder where the outrage is for Sudan, while other conflicts receive billions in immediate military aid. Is it because there isn't a clear 'enemy of democracy' or a strategic ally whose borders need
defending, no matter the human cost? The selective attention, mirroring historical patterns of intervention and neglect, suggests that some humanitarian crises are more reportable, and fundable, than others. How many more regions must face catastrophic famine before we analyze the systemic failures and arms dealers profiting from endless war?