AU paralysis fuels catastrophe

'ALL Eyes on Gaza' has become a vociferous rallying call, as it should, for Gaza is a site of horrific inhumanity.

- KIM HELLER

At the same time, more eyes are needed on Sudan.

The conflict-ravaged nation is a humanitarian crisis, yet the world hardly looks upon the atrocities of Sudan. The war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), commanded by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, is in its third year. Sudan is in a disastrous downfall.

Many cities have been annihilated and are little more than heaps of ruins. Blockades and drone attacks are the day-to-day horrors of Sudan. Just weeks ago, 75 worshippers at a mosque were targeted and slaughtered. Multiple hospitals have been rendered dysfunctional due to the continued barrage. This has not only left the ill and injured without healthcare but has resulted in the spread of serious diseases, including cholera.

With close to 13 million people displaced, Sudan is currently 'home' to the most significant displacement emergency in the world. Over 25 million people face critical food insecurity. At least 150 000 people have been killed as a direct consequence of the warring or due to famine and illness caused by the conflict.

Despite all this horror, the suffering of Sudan is barely reported in newspapers or featured on news channels. It garners a scrap of newspaper column width compared to Ukraine, and a tiny trace of prime-time television time.

This egregious media inequality raises questions about the racial hierarchy of human suffering and empathy. Do Black lives matter less? There needs to be more eyes on Sudan - not only to bring an end to the war but to reveal the forces behind it.