The Sudanese Civil War, an ongoing conflict since Apr. 15, 2023, recently grabbed the world’s attention due to not only the worsening humanitarian crisis, but also the discussions that been sparked regarding President Trump’s plans of capitalizing off other countries’ resources.
Sudan is a significant country in Africa, rich in resources such as gold and oil. Due to this, tension between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has developed. What started off as political tension between two militaries for power, turned to violent discourse that has hurt thousands. The RSF has accumulated their power through gold, weapons, and ruthlessness, allowing them autonomy of their own. The two militaries have discussed joining forces, but alas these efforts were of no use, as their constant disagreements had led them to further fighting.
The lack of a stable government in Sudan left the people and the country’s resources vulnerable. “It hurts me the most because I have a lot of family living there, but now I have no family living there,” junior Malk Bashir said. “Since the start of the war they all had to leave and now I have family scattered everywhere whereas in just our homeland, Sudan.” As the feud continues, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has allegedly been leveraging off of this.
The origination of the drones and weaponry the RSF had been in possession of had been traced back to the UAE. These weapons were used by the RSF in order to take advantage of the people in Sudan. Reports show that the UAE has been allegedly benefitting from the ongoing conflict by having access to Sudanese oil, gold, and land. “By using the RSF to do their bidding, the UAE is taking the poor situation in Sudan to basically rip apart our country,” Bashir said. Many of the Sudanese people are facing starvation, displacement, and death from this war.
The UAE denies all claims involving them, however, more investigations have found Sudanese gold in the country. They have also gained large sums of Sudanese land since the start of the war in order to grow their agriculture. To prevent the country’s trading abilities, the UAE has been blocking many crude oil shipments.
Overall, the events occurring in Sudan show a pattern that can be tied into President Trump’s plans. Despite being a domestic issue, political instability and resources can still attract foreign countries. This raises the question on whether President Trump’s plans for Venezuela and Greenland should be a concern.
