American Hypocrisy at its Clearest
By: Al-Abid Ahmed Marouh
Call it hypocrisy if you wish, or call it contradiction, but what matters in the end is that it is an immoral act that does not align with any earthly law—whether made by humans—or any divine religion. This is the appropriate description of the actions of the current U.S. administration towards Sudan, particularly the actions of its special envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, in his symbolic role rather than his person!
The current U.S. administration fills the media space with cries through its envoy, its representative in the United Nations Security Council, and its organizations working in humanitarian fields about “the catastrophe faced by the people of Sudan due to the ongoing war.” They talk about the hunger threatening the lives of millions, the suffering of displaced people who have reached a global record number, the plight of children deprived of education and health care, and—though with some restraint—about the daily violations of international humanitarian law, cases of rape and enforced disappearances, and the bombings that civilians are subjected to, turning them overnight into victims. After this long list of violations and crimes, they say: the war must stop, and for it to stop, the (two generals) or their delegates must meet to decide on a “nearly ready” plan for a temporary ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid—food and medicine—to flow to those in need, and then develop this temporary ceasefire into a permanent agreement!
You ask me: Where is the problem in this?
And I answer you: There is no problem; in fact, this is what is needed. There is suffering being experienced by millions of Sudanese due to the ongoing war, and this suffering must stop. But isn’t it necessary to first identify the party responsible for this suffering, and why this party insists on continuing this behavior?
This is the question that the U.S. administration tries to avoid asking and, necessarily, answering, as it tries to skip over its implications by calling for an end to the war!
It is true that millions of Sudanese have been displaced from their cities and villages, wandering within Sudan and beyond, exposed to hunger and disease, subjected to oppression, rape, and murder. The cause of this is the Rapid Support Forces militia, which occupied their homes, drove them out, and killed those who resisted. This fact does not require the Sudanese to provide evidence from any investigative committee, international organization, or Security Council, as they have lived through it themselves for nearly two years. This has been an ongoing series since mid-April of last year, with the whole world witnessing how thousands of women, children, the elderly, and others flee from any city or village entered by the Rapid Support Forces militia, either to the nearest neighboring country or to safe cities in Sudanese states that have not been tainted by the rebellion’s guns.
The whole world, led by the United Nations, international organizations, and the U.S. Agency for International Development, knows that the party that raided food and medicine stores in Khartoum, Wad Madani, and elsewhere, as well as the means to transport them, were officers and soldiers of the Rapid Support Forces militia. This directly caused the greater part of the humanitarian suffering that American officials speak about.
The whole world knows, including American officials, that the party that raided farmers’ vehicles and equipment in the states of Khartoum, Al-Jazira, Sennar, White Nile, Kordofan, and Darfur, seized their seeds, and prevented them from practicing their agricultural activities, thus exacerbating the food production crisis, was the Rapid Support Forces militia.
The world’s major powers, represented by the permanent members of the Security Council, including the United States, and with the support of the non-permanent members, condemned on June 13th the siege, starvation, and destruction of hospitals and civilian objects in the city of El Fasher. They demanded an end to the siege, bombing, and destruction, and they know better than anyone else that the party responsible for this is the Rapid Support Forces militia. However, the militia ignored these demands, continuing to this day with successive waves of attacks on the city, bombing health facilities and residential neighborhoods, and preventing aid convoys from reaching the city!
America knows all of this and knows the party responsible for the suffering of the Sudanese people, as well as the external parties that supply it with money and weapons and support it politically and in the media. Yet, it does not want to tell them to stop, so the suffering of the Sudanese people might end. Nor does it want to even mildly admonish them. Instead, it wants the war to stop on the pretext that its continuation will only bring more suffering to civilians!
Not far from Sudan, the people of Gaza are subjected to genocide and all types of crimes and violations. Yet, America does not demand that the aggressor state stop killing and destroying Palestinian lives and their civilian structures; rather, it supplies the aggressor with all types of ammunition—smart and otherwise—to further the killing and destruction of hospitals, schools, and homes. The situation has reached the point where the U.S. President himself declared that it is too early to talk about a ceasefire in Gaza, and does not demand that the crossings be opened so that humanitarian aid can reach those in need!
If what the U.S. administration does and says about what is happening in Sudan and Palestine is not the epitome of hypocrisy, political bullying, and double standards, then what on earth is it?
