Sudan military’s strike on market in capital kills at least 23: Rescuers
Al JazeeraOCT 2024
The Sudan Conflict
Above: Sudanese Army soldiers walk near armored vehicles stationed on a street in southern Khartoum, on May 6, 2023, amid ongoing fighting against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Image copyright: Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Both sides in Sudan need to sit down to the negotiating table and find a political solution that ends this crisis. Indeed, the work of international partners are also necessary to ensure peace and stability in Sudan. Aggressive acts, such as the SAF's 2024 attack on the residence of the UAE ambassador, are unproductive and unacceptable and only serve to continue the bloodshed.
Establishment-critical narrative
Though the UAE may pretend that it is interested in finding a political solution in Sudan, it is actively arming the RSF as it commits genocide in Darfur. The evidence of the RSF's crimes continues to grow, yet the UAE and its Western allies care little. The people of Sudan deserve to live in peace, and the international community must put more pressure on countries like the UAE that are extending the bloodshed.
Cynical narrative
The RSF may have committed the worst crimes in Sudan, but the SAF isn't much better, as neither side is interested in a democratic Sudan. In addition to the belligerents' resistance to ending the conflict and the intervention of foreign powers, the primary driver of conflict in Sudan is its natural resources. Indeed, much like in the Congo and other resource-rich African countries, the global capitalist system fuels resource theft and war. This exploitation of resources is so crucial to the global economy that countries like Sudan are effectively doomed to perpetual conflict.