The Current War In Sudan And The One Major Lesson To Learn:

The current war in Sudan is just two(2) weeks old but has recorded 500 deaths and 5,000 injuries with over 800,000 persons said to have fled Sudan so far (per CNN reporter).

There is one major lesson to learn from this war.

In the year 2000, the people of Western Sudan started a public agitation for inclusion in the sharing of oil-proceeds and infrastructural development in their region after years of alleged marginalization by the Northern elites who have always ruled Sudan.

The Government paid a deaf ear and so the people resorted to picking up arms. Two(2) militancy groups were formed; The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA).

Instead of the Government to employ diplomacy in handling these agitators, it rather went and formed another opposition militant force in Western Sudan called Janjaweed Forces (JF). The Government used Janjaweed to conquer both JEM and SLA.

But this kind of victories don't last.

Just three(3) years later, Janjaweed had grown so mighty in western Sudan and in 2003 it engaged the Government in arms combat. In 2019, Janjaweed metamorphosed into a strong and rebranded militant force called Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with 100,000 well equipped troops.

Today, this RSF that the Government set up in 2000 is fighting a deadly war with Government forces in Sudan. RSF has 100,000 troops and Government has 125,000 troops. Just a difference of 25,000.

If the Sudan Government in 2000 had used diplomacy in responding to Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) agitators, Sudan would not have been at war right now.

~Mazi Endurance Onun

Public Affairs Analyst

May 1, 2023.