As colorful as the world is, it’s very painful that we as humans still see only black and white in terms of global crises.
When the people of Palestine and Ukraine cried out, the world immediately rallied, donations poured in, boycotts launched, protests happened, and celebrities were canceled, but Sudan? Congo? Suddenly, the media spotlight dims, and those issues aren’t our problems anymore. Geopolitics are complex, media access differs, diaspora communities vary in reach and communication, but does any of that really justify the silence? So the question lingers still : is global activism inherently colorblind, or does our collective empathy have borders and biases?
Growing up, we were raised to help anyone in need – to stand up for people no matter what. But when global activism shows a pattern, when only certain conflicts receive the world’s support while others are met with silence, that pattern becomes a story. The excuse of not being informed falls flat. When there were other conflicts, we immediately learned what happened, focused on the news, studied the papers and started hashtags across social media. Where is that same energy for those who need it even more?
The pattern is tragically clear in Sudan. Since the civil war in Sudan broke out in 2023, the suffering has been devastating. Reports confirm widespread atrocities with women and children, regardless of age, being sexually assaulted, tortured and killed amidst the civil war. According to a 2024 UNICEF report, children as young as one are raped during the conflict, with survivors identifying the Rapid Support Forces soldiers as the perpetrators of this crime.
But who exactly are the RSF? The RSF is an independent militia group fighting against the Sudanese Armed Forces. The SAF is led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of state, while the RSF is led by Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, the former deputy of the SAF. Currently, both sides are engaged in a power struggle, with evidence claiming that the RSF is being backed by the UAE. While the damages between the two have been detrimental, the RSF is prominently known for its violence against women, and its leader, Hemedti, was also involved in the Janjaweed conflict and is accused of war crimes, including raping, torturing and killing civilians.
Beyond the violence and killings, Sudan’s suffering does not end there. There are outbreaks of diseases, including cholera, malaria, dengue fever, measles and rubella. An estimated 3.4 million children under the age of five are at high risk of epidemic diseases, according to UNICEF’s 2024 Sudan crisis report. More than 19 million children are out of school, 12.1 million women and girls, and increasingly, men and boys are at risk of sexual violence. 80% of hospitals in conflict-affected areas are no longer functional, blood stains on the road can be seen from satellites in Google Maps, and more than 13 million people are displaced. These aren’t just facts and numbers – these are people like me and you. They wake up every day not with a hope to live, not with dreams to be executed, not with the joy to see another day, but for too many in Sudan, every day awake is a day closer to death.
Just maybe, if Sudan were in Europe, and the people had blue eyes and appeared lighter in melanin composition, maybe the world would give an eye to their issues, maybe hashtags like “#freesudan” would be trending everywhere, maybe we would force celebrities to speak up and boycott companies or countries that back up those that aid these crimes. Or perhaps this disparity happens because African nations are pushed aside and treated as if their crises don’t matter. Their crises are not deemed “global” enough. We are quick to listen and celebrate their culture, food, music and traditions, but never their cry for help.
Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. How come we are able to understand the feelings of others, and then we neglect some? Could it be that we have subconsciously programmed ourselves to feel the pain of some but not others, or are we simply unwilling to accept the inconvenience of activism for a crisis that doesn’t fit the dominant narrative?
These people are like us; they have dreams, goals, and hopes, all of which are being shattered. Children starve, women get assaulted, and men are killed for defending their homes and wives. We have risen for less, we have called out injustice for less. Now, in a time when people are getting killed, all of a sudden, the world has gone silent.
Africa has always been exploited from its culture to its people to its resources, being pushed to nothing in the sight of the world. It’s time we rise and see that everyone deserves justice. Sudan deserves justice. It’s time we act, for the women, children and men. It’s time we open our eyes and push globally for the oppressors of Sudan to be brought to justice. These are human beings, not just some raw material. These are people, not commodities. We have seen how the world can unite and fight a battle; we need to be awakened again, and we need to push for movements. As much as we are privileged not to be in this situation, it does not stop us from standing up for those going through it.
Whether it’s Black, white, orange, blue or green, the color of the crisis should not determine the volume of our outrage. We should stand for all and not just one of the above; we should fight for all and not just a particular group; we shouldn’t let the media silence us. Resources are being stolen, people are being killed. Regardless of whether you can donate or not, you can use the most powerful tool you have: your voice. Use social media, make videos with factual information and hashtags #freesudan and #freecongo, copy links to aid and organizations, call out companies and hold governments accountable.
We owe it to them as human beings. A better, more just world will not build itself unless we stand and unite for all.