Harare - The decades-long civil war in Sudan has been exacerbated by geopolitical rivalries between the West, led by the United States, and Russia. The US has traditionally backed the southern, Christian rebels in an effort to counter the influence of the Arab-Islamist government in the north, which is backed by Russia.
When South Sudan gained independence in 2011, it was seen as a victory for the West and a blow to Russia's ally in the north. However, the power struggle continued, with Russia and the West supporting opposite sides in subsequent internal conflicts in South Sudan. The West accuses Russia of prolonging the conflicts to gain influence and access to natural resources like oil. Russia accuses the West of destabilizing Sudan to reduce Russian influence in Africa.
The civil war in Sudan is a microcosm of the wider geopolitical struggle for power and influence between Russia and the West in global hotspots. Backing opposing sides in internal conflicts is a way for Russia and Western powers like the US to project power and counter each other's global ambitions without direct military confrontation. The suffering of the local populations is a tragic byproduct of these global power games playing out on the world stage.
Russia and the West have also used Sudan as an arena to sell arms and weapons, which has contributed to the violence and duration of the conflicts. Both sides see gains and losses in Sudan as symbolic in the broader struggle for global supremacy in the post-Cold War world order. While the Cold War is over, the competition for geopolitical influence is still raging, and civil wars in developing nations have become proxy wars in this wider struggle.
Local ethnic and political tensions have been intensified in Sudan by these external proxy battles. A lasting peace remains elusive unless key global powers agree to re-evaluate their roles and put the interests of the Sudanese people first. However, there are no signs of Russia and the West backing down from their wider competition for power on the global stage.
The civil war in Sudan is ostensibly about local ethnic and political rivalries, but it has undoubtedly been prolonged by the geopolitical competition between Russia and the West, especially the United States. De-escalating conflicts like the one in Sudan ultimately requires overcoming this global dynamic that turns civil wars into proxy wars of global powers. However, global powers are rarely willing to sacrifice their own ambitions for the good of local populations and regional stability.
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