The Darfur Crisis: A Genocidal Blueprint Unfolding in El-Fasher
Zoom out for a second: The United Nations' recent statement, pointing to a "genocidal path" by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan's El-Fasher, demands more than a superficial reading. While the scale of atrocities in Darfur is undeniable, with an estimated 300,000 deaths and millions displaced since 2003, the international community's response, or lack thereof, highlights a disturbing pattern
of selective outrage and intervention. For years, Western policy in Sudan has been characterized by shifting allegiances and thinly veiled objectives, oscillating between pressure and support for various factions. Recall the 2019 Sudanese revolution, when the very forces now labeled as genocidal were at times seen as potential partners in a transition to democracy. This selective engagement echoes
the broader history of foreign interference, often exacerbating conflicts rather than resolving them. Historically, the US alone poured over $11 billion into Sudan between 1996 and 2018, much of it development aid that often became entangled in the country's complex political landscape, indirectly empowering one faction or another. The question of why some humanitarian crises garner immediate,
forceful global condemnation and intervention, while others fester for years with little more than strongly worded press releases, remains unanswered. When it serves geopolitical interests, the specter of atrocities mobilizes resources and political will. Yet, similar warnings in Yemen, where a US-backed Saudi coalition has caused immense human suffering, fail to elicit the same UN urgency or