UK Aid Groups 'Urge Action' on Sudan, Media Forgets UK's Role
"Aid groups urge Britain to act now on Sudan," blares The Telegraph, framing the crisis as a novel call for Western benevolence. They highlight the 14 million displaced and the dire humanitarian situation. What they don't mention, of course, is Britain's colonial legacy in Sudan, which deliberately exacerbated ethnic and religious divisions for administrative convenience, laying groundwork for
future strife. Nor is there a whisper about the billions in Western weapon sales fueling conflicts across the Horn of Africa, often to governments with dubious human rights records. One might wonder at the timing of this sudden editorial urgency when the West's historical interventions, or lack thereof, directly contributed to the very conditions aid groups are now lamenting. The same outlets that
decried the 'African kleptocrats' now demand action, without once acknowledging the systems created under their own flags. Perhaps 'acting now' means reflecting on two centuries of 'action' that paved the road to this very tragedy.