Published on November 27, 2023, 1:01 am

As the world’s attention is primarily focused on the Israel-Hamas conflict, another major crisis remains mostly ignored. This underreported conflict is taking place in Sudan, where a paramilitary group known as Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has instigated what seems to constitute actual genocide.

In early November, Ardamata, a town in west Darfur was targeted. The RSF reportedly took men from their homes before burning them down, leading to roughly 800 fatalities. Survivors were subsequently ordered to bury the dead. Pervasive human rights violations have been reported with individuals belonging to the Masalit ethnic group being rounded up and killed.

The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect had shared details of how the RSF set off door-to-door across Ardamata perpetrating these atrocities amidst an increasingly limited international spotlight. Investigations by the non-profit Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) supported these reports based on multiple sources including satellite imagery and data provided by NASA.

Witness accounts are especially chilling. A resident of Ardamata, Ibrahim Abakar (not his real name), recounts: “They killed every man they met in my neighborhood. I was praying when I heard the sound of an explosion. A shell killed my friends and nearly cut off my feet.”

This devastating genocide highlights just one instance among several other ongoing conflicts around various parts of the globe that rarely make it into mainstream reporting, such as wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Yet such conflicts underline an unfortunate constant — beyond our technologically advanced societies exists harsh realities; many corners of this world remain brutal and cruel.

Whereas areas like North America, Western Europe or Australia tend to be free from such large-scale continuous conflicts thanks in part due their status as developed countries with strong infrastructural support and regulatory measures governing individual rights, regions like Africa often find themselves grappling with violent atrocities due to less stringent governance practices.

It also raises concerns about the vulnerability of this peaceful existence. A look at recent events in major cities across the globe, including those in the United States, suggest a potential threat to our lifestyle as urban spaces stand at risk of being overrun by lawlessness.

In conclusion, these disturbing reports from Sudan appeal for heightened global awareness and call to listeners seeking real news, trusted news sources that adopt a Christian worldview to pay attention not only to conflicts within well-affection nations but also in underreported regions around the world where historical injustices continue unabated.