The worsening civil war in Sudan reflects not only the immense tragedy of a single nation torn apart but also the broader vulnerabilities of an entire continent still struggling to overcome the legacies of colonialism, neo-colonial exploitation, and artificial divisions. A recent UN report (October 29) revealed that a reported massacre at a hospital in El Fasher left 460 dead, one of the deadliest incidents in Sudan’s 30-month civil war. Since the conflict began in April 2023 between two rival generals—who had once pledged to steer the country toward democracy—Sudan has become the site of what many call the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis.
With famine conditions emerging, nearly half of Sudan’s population facing extreme hunger, and around 12 million people displaced, the scale of suffering is staggering. The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), representing the official government, and the Rapid Support Force (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group, continue their brutal contest for control. The SAF regained Khartoum some months ago, but the RSF’s recent capture of El Fasher consolidates its hold over Darfur, establishing Nyala as its administrative center. While both sides command large territories, neither seems close to victory. Each faction has been accused of grave atrocities—though the RSF, which the U.S. has previously accused of genocide, faces the heavier share of allegations.
Sudan’s agony is compounded by foreign interference. Regional powers such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia reportedly back the SAF, while the UAE has been linked with support for the RSF. Drones and even foreign mercenaries have reportedly been deployed in the latest offensives. As refugees pour into already unstable neighboring nations like South Sudan and Libya, fears mount that the conflict could spill across borders, drawing in more states and further destabilizing the region. The cyclical violence—first Sudan’s own, then South Sudan’s, now Sudan again—threatens to perpetuate an endless loop of wars, displacements, and humanitarian disasters.
To understand the deeper roots of Sudan’s tragedy and similar conflicts elsewhere in Africa, one must recall the long and painful history of the continent. Africa, the birthplace of humankind, was devastated first by centuries of colonial plunder and slavery, and later by neo-colonial domination that prioritized resource extraction over the welfare of its people. Promising leaders like Patrice Lumumba were assassinated, borders were arbitrarily drawn, and local economies and cultures were restructured to serve foreign interests. In the post-colonial era, external powers and domestic elites alike have continued to exploit Africa’s vast mineral wealth, often fueling internal conflicts through arms supplies and proxy wars.
The consequences have been catastrophic. Across the continent, around 35 active conflicts are estimated to be ongoing. Millions have perished from violence, hunger, and disease; millions more have been displaced. Entire regions are caught in cycles of instability, with terrorism and insurgencies crossing porous borders. The civil war in Sudan could easily expand its reach, as could the conflicts in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
At the same time, Africa faces the intensifying pressures of climate change—droughts, floods, and extreme weather events—that demand precisely the opposite of war: cooperation, peace, and collective resilience. Yet wars continue to erode the capacity of nations to adapt and protect their people.
This dire context underlines the urgent need for greater unity among African nations and peoples. The African Union, with its 55 member states, has made efforts toward peace and integration, but the scale of the challenges calls for a bolder vision—a vision of a truly united and peaceful Africa. Some thinkers have proposed the idea of a United Countries of Africa (UCA): a single continental federation combining unity with deep local democracy, capable of ensuring peace, justice, and sustainable development.
Such a union could help Africa reclaim control of its resources for its own people. It could establish people-centered economic and ecological systems, end the cycles of warlordism and foreign manipulation, and build sustainable livelihoods rooted in agro-ecology and community conservation. With one unified government committed to peace and equality, disputes over borders, rivers, or minerals could be resolved through democratic dialogue rather than violence.
Africa, home to 1.5 billion people, has the scale and potential to function as a unified nation. What it lacks today is not capacity, but cooperation; not resources, but resolve. The tragic crisis in Sudan, like others before it, should serve as a warning and a call—to replace fragmentation with unity, despair with hope, and endless conflict with a collective determination to build a peaceful, just, and sustainable future for all Africans.
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The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Planet in Peril, Earth without Borders, Man over Machine and A Day in 2071
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