Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
Clashes have been going on in Sudan for more than ten days between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support forces and corpses fill the streets. All attempts at a truce have so far failed. The clashes involved all types of light, medium and heavy weapons until military aviation was used. The major regional and international countries are working to find a way out of this crisis, but all have failed. But Sudan, like all countries, suffers from crises of external interference in general, and American intervention has a big role in crises, especially since Sudan is rich in natural resources such as oil, gold, and others, so we see a major international conflict over Sudan.
The interest of the United States of America
The United States seeks to prevent the strengthening of Russia in Africa, disrupt the Russian logistics base project in the Red Sea and, if possible, weaken the sovereignty of Egypt and Ethiopia, in this context, they are quite satisfied with the Civil War, and the United States will do everything possible for its continuation and spread to the entire region in the future. According to information, representatives of the United States are already negotiating with paramilitary groups in the Amhara region of Ethiopia to participate in the conflict along with Hamidti for 140 million dollars.
Un: 60% of health facilities in Khartoum are closed
For his part, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said that 60% of health facilities in Khartoum are closed due to the ongoing battles between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support forces.
The UN spokesman added that the closure of hospitals has disrupted the treatment of almost 50 thousand children suffering from acute malnutrition.
At the same time, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan said that the fighting does not allow them to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the new humanitarian needs, adding: “Unfortunately, the fighting continues despite the multiple declarations on the ceasefire.
A few days ago, the UN coordinator said that many humanitarian supplies have been looted in Sudan, noting that access to health services in Sudan is almost impossible due to the fighting.
Saudi-German talks on Sudan.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan discussed on Thursday with his German counterpart “Annalena Bearbock” the “accelerated developments of events in Sudan”.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, “was”, the two ministers stressed the importance of stopping the military escalation, providing the necessary protection for Sudanese civilians and residents on its territory, and providing safe humanitarian corridors for those wishing to leave Sudanese territory. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has also sent barges to transport its nationals and nationals of many Arab and foreign countries.
China-Sudan relations decline
China-Sudan relations were very developed, as Sudan was the sixth largest exporter of oil to China, and the volume of trade exchange between the two countries reached 11 billion dollars, but after the secession of South Sudan in 2011, which contains 75% of oil production in Sudan, Sudan’s oil importance declined for Beijing, but trade and economic cooperation remained between the two countries, and there are 130 Chinese companies in Sudan.
After the fall of the regime of President Bashir in 2019, who was described as a friend of the Chinese people, relations deteriorated further, and the new Sudanese leaders could not build trust and cooperation with Beijing, and the issue of Chinese debt to Sudan and the latter’s default was another obstacle to relations between the two countries. The issue of Chinese debt scheduling was the focus of the Chinese President’s meeting with his Sudanese counterpart on the sidelines of the Arab-Chinese Summit held in Riyadh last year.
China’s interest in Sudan comes as part of its interest in the African continent, as the volume of trade exchange between China and the African continent reached 280 billion dollars in 2022, while the trade exchange between the continent and America did not exceed 80 billion dollars during the same year.
The Chinese presence in Sudan is very weak compared to the American and French-Israeli presence, the number of Americans in Sudan is more than sixteen thousand, and in Djibouti two thousand soldiers, and the Russians have fifteen in Africa, these are the reasons why Beijing has a weak presence and worries to interfere in the Sudanese affairs.
The Red Cross in Sudan
The clashes between the two military forces broke out on April 15 in the capital Khartoum and the Merwe military air base in the northern state, before expanding to other areas, reaping as of yesterday evening 512 dead and 4,000 injured.
Thousands of Khartoum residents have been displaced to other states, especially as most hospitals have been disrupted, and many civilians have been cut off from accessing communications or getting electricity, even drinking water and food.
What is happening in Sudan will not end soon, the conflict will be prolonged, as each party receives unlimited support from regional powers who want to plunder Sudan’s wealth, stripping it of everything. The crisis there is not new; it began when the world forced the Sudanese to divide, through the coup against Omar al-Bashir, to the way things are now, so it does not seem that the situation in Sudan will end soon, and the biggest loser is the Sudanese people.
Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist
