The lack of response to the 1994 Rwandan genocide by the international community continues to be scrutinised. In April 1994, about 800,000 Tutsis were slaughtered by the majority Hutu ethnic group. At the same time, the world seemed to pay more attention to the Fifa World Cup, hosted in Brazil, and the democratic elections in South Africa. The global community’s failure to intervene in this horrific genocide remains one of the most tragic examples of international indifference.
Sadly, we are witnessing a similar scenario today in Sudan, where an ongoing genocide is being largely ignored by African governments and multilateral organisations. In Sudan, Arab militias have been systematically targeting black Africans, engaging in mass killings, rapes, and other atrocities. Despite the scale of this crisis, Africa’s political leadership has remained largely silent, while the international community —particularly the US — has voiced its concern. The contrast between Africa’s response to this genocide and its responses to other international conflicts, such as the Israel-Hamas war and the Russia-Ukraine war, reveals a troubling pattern: African governments often focus their energies on global issues while failing to address urgent crises in their own continent.
This lack of action by African leaders is nothing new. African governments have consistently failed to take meaningful steps to address human rights violations and protect their own citizens from violent conflict. For example, the silence surrounding the ongoing violence in Sudan echoes the indifference seen during previous crises in Africa, such as in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, where deteriorating political conditions have forced many people to flee their countries in search of safety. In both of these countries, instability has led to widespread human suffering, but the AU and other regional bodies have done little to intervene.
If African governments truly want to make a meaningful impact on the world stage, they must first ensure that their own countries are stable, secure, and just. Only then can they begin to contribute effectively to global peace and security
South Africa has been outspoken in its criticism of Israel, often siding with Hamas in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At the same time, South Africa and other African countries have shown support for Russia in its war against Ukraine, likely due to their alliance within Brics.
It is crucial that African governments prioritise the security, stability, and welfare of their own people. When African nations are embroiled in violent conflict, these crises have far-reaching consequences for the region and the world. As the global economy becomes increasingly interconnected, the instability in one country can ripple across borders, affecting neighbouring countries and even distant regions.
In countries like Nigeria and Mozambique, we are witnessing the rise of extremist terrorism, which threatens the security of millions of people. In northern Mozambique, extremist groups like al-Shabaab have carried out brutal attacks, killing thousands and displacing hundreds of thousands more. Similarly, in Nigeria, the extremist group Boko Haram continues to wreak havoc, killing civilians, kidnapping children, and destabilising entire regions. There has been a glaring lack of concerted, effective action by African governments and the AU to curb the spread of extremism and address the root causes of instability.
One of the reasons for this inaction is the political and economic influence exerted by foreign powers, particularly Western countries. Many African governments receive significant financial aid, military support, and diplomatic backing from the US, China, and former colonial powers. This assistance often comes with strings attached, with African leaders prioritising the interests of foreign powers over the welfare of their own citizens. African governments are more focused on securing international aid and approval than on addressing the urgent needs of their own people.
If African governments truly want to make a meaningful impact on the world stage, they must first ensure that their own countries are stable, secure, and just. Only then can they begin to contribute effectively to global peace and security.
A Sudanese refugee shared with me the despair and hopelessness he felt, knowing that he may never be able to return to his homeland. His plan was to move to Kenya, where most of his family members had already sought refuge. Despite the dire circumstances, he held on to a flicker of hope — hope that one day the world would take action to end the ongoing crisis and allow displaced Sudanese people to return home.
The crisis in Sudan is not just a political or military issue — it is a moral one. It is about human lives, about the dignity and safety of individuals who are being slaughtered because of their ethnicity and social group. In Sudan, the victims are predominantly non-Arab Africans, who are being subjected to inhumane violence. Their homes are being destroyed, their communities razed to the ground, and their lives wiped out in what can only be described as a systematic, racially motivated genocide.
It is deeply disappointing that the same moral outrage that is often directed at conflicts involving Israel, Western democracies, or other international powers is not being extended to the people of Sudan. In fact, the response to the Hamas attack on Israel, which saw several black Africans caught in the crossfire, was met with far more outcry than the ongoing genocide in Sudan. This hypocrisy highlights the need for Africans to adopt the principles behind the #BlackLivesMatter movement — not just in the US, but also in Africa, where black lives are under threat from their own leaders and from armed militias.
We cannot claim to care about the lives of black people around the world if we are complicit in the mass killings and suffering of black Africans in our own countries. Whether in Sudan, Nigeria, Mozambique, Zimbabwe or Burundi, the lives of black Africans must matter — both to the people themselves and to the governments who are meant to protect them.
The AU and other regional bodies must take responsibility for these crises and act decisively to end the bloodshed in Sudan and other conflict-ridden African countries. It is time for Africa to turn its eyes toward the real genocide in Sudan and to take a stand against the violence that is plaguing the continent.
• Moeng Mokgatlhe is a freelance writer and political analyst.
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