UK's 'Double Game' in Africa: A Century of Colonial Chess, Not Just a Game
📰 THE STORY: Al Jazeera investigates whether the UK government is playing a 'double game' in Sudan and Somalia, appearing to support unity while engaging with breakaway regions like Somaliland and allegedly contributing to instability in Sudan. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The UK's 'divide and rule' strategy in Africa is not new. In 1884, the Berlin Conference carved up
Africa, creating artificial borders that fueled conflict for over a century. Specifically in Sudan, British policies post-1899 Anglo-Egyptian Condominium deliberately fostered divisions between north and south, laying groundwork for decades of civil war and eventually, South Sudan's secession. In Somalia, British Somaliland was a separate protectorate from Italian Somaliland, a distinction that
fuels current secessionist aspirations and UK's 'engagement' today. Double Standard: Western governments routinely condemn 'separatist movements' when it threatens their allies' stability (e.g., Ukraine), but selectively engage with or even arm separatists when it serves geopolitical interests or access to resources. The very concept of 'international law' is applied with surgical precision,
exempting Western actions while condemning others. Follow the Money: The UK, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is a major arms exporter. In 2022, the UK's arms sales were valued at £11.2 billion, with significant components often ending up in conflict zones, directly or indirectly. The destabilization of regions like Sudan and Somalia creates conditions for more arms sales, private