Sudan is experiencing one of the world’s most devastating humanitarian crises, yet its suffering remains largely absent from American headlines. On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D spoke with Sovereign Media journalist Mosaab Baba about the historical, political and international forces fueling the war and why people across the African diaspora must pay closer attention.
Baba traced today’s crisis to decades of foreign intervention, authoritarian rule and economic exploitation. He explained that Western powers supported Sudan’s far right leadership during the Cold War as a barrier against communists, nationalists and Pan African movements seeking sovereignty and shared control of resources. Those alliances empowered a political class that privatized land, crushed opposition and protected outside interests while ordinary Sudanese people suffered.
The current war, which erupted in 2023, pits the Sudanese Armed Forces against the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF. Baba described the RSF as a state sanctioned militia that grew out of the Janjaweed forces associated with atrocities in Darfur. Supported through gold, smuggling networks and regional alliances, the RSF developed into what Baba called “its own empire.” The consequences have been catastrophic, with more than 12 million people displaced and over 20 million needing humanitarian assistance.
Baba also highlighted the role of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt in Sudan’s economy and security apparatus. He argued that Sudan’s agricultural land, gold mines, Red Sea coastline and strategic position have made it a target for neocolonial control. “They’re looking at Sudan as a backyard with resources,” he said.
Davey D connected this history to broader efforts to suppress leftist and Pan African movements around the world. Their conversation also explored Sudan’s racial divisions and the ideology Baba described as “Islamo Arab supremacism,” which has historically been used against darker, Indigenous African communities. However, Baba noted that the 2019 uprising brought forward a younger generation declaring, “We’re all Africans.”
Despite the bloodshed, Baba sees hope in growing calls for internal reconciliation, equal rights and Sudanese sovereignty. “We have to sit down,” he said. “We have to solve it by ourselves.” He encouraged listeners to follow the Ayin Network and support the Sudan Solidarity Collective, which works with farmers and communities to strengthen food security and long term survival.
Hard Knock Radio is a drive-time Hip-Hop talk show on KPFA (94.1fm @ 4-5 pm Monday-Friday), a community radio station without corporate underwriting, hosted by Davey D and Anita Johnson.
