A Brief History of Famine in Sudan

Sudan is the second largest in Africa, and one of the largest in the world. Overpopulation, combined with drought, lack of food, and other mostly political factors, resulted in a devastating famine that hasn’t been completely eradicated for decades, and continues to affect citizens to this day. Dr. Jeff Horn, chairman of the History Department at Manhattan College, has been studying the area of Sudan for years, and has several interesting thoughts about this famine. When asked the direct causes of the famine, he replied, “Land, power, and water are all involved. But mostly perceptions of race. Notice I said perceptions of race.” The government in Sudan represents people who live close to the rivers. They are Muslim, dark of skin, and consider themselves Arabs. The oppressed people in the country, the ones thought of as “other” by the government and empowered people, are also Muslim and dark of skin, but they are referred to as Africans. According to Dr. Horn, “The differences in the hue, color, kink of the hair, etc. among these people are minimal at best. There have been interactions between these groups for millennia, but the Arabs are thought of as masters, while the blacks are slaves.” 

So, these oppressed “slaves” have been ignored by the government for decades, and as a result have to fend for themselves in terms of food, water, provisions, etc. Since there are so many of these people, and so little resources, over time, famine has ensued. In spite of many efforts over the years by other countries and nations to aid the situation in Sudan, the future looks bleak. Dr. Horn thinks that the only solution to this ongoing problem of famine is “to topple the regime in Sudan.” Is he optimistic that this will happen? “Hopefully things will get better, but until that regime is gone, I don’t see any end to the situation,” he says.

Sudan Today...

Although many relief efforts have been brought to Sudan, the problems of war and famine continue to rage. Most notable has been the ongoing genocide in Darfur. The president of the country, Omar al Bashir, continues a strict regime; the overthrowing of which, as Dr. Horn stated, will be the only true hope for the country's problems to dissipate.