Africa and Japan: The World Seen through Assignment in and Evacuation from Sudan

Abstract

On April 15, 2023, military clashes erupted in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF), and, although nine months have passed, the military conflict has not subsided. During this time, the lives of the people have been devastated and the country’s key infrastructure, including Khartoum International Airport, has been destroyed.

What is happening? And how should we understand this situation? The author was posted in Sudan in February 2021 and fled the country with other Japanese personnel from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the midst of the military clashes in April 2023. As someone who has lived in Sudan, the author describes the current situation and JICA’s involvement in Sudan.

Acknowledgment

This article is based on information available as of the middle of February 2024. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not represent the official views of the organization to which the author belongs.

Notes

1 Katie Spalding, “Largest ever family tree reveals origins of all humanity,” IFLScience, December 26, 2022. https://www.iflscience.com/largest-ever-family-tree-reveals-origins-of-all-humanity-66827

2 Zeinab Mohammed Salih, “Hausas in Sudan: The pilgrims’ descendants fighting for acceptance,” BBC, July 23 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-62175714

3 “RSF arrest Egyptian military in northern Sudan air base,” Sudan Tribune, April 15, 2023. https://sudantribune.com/article273012/

4 Nima Elbagir, et al., “Exclusive: Evidence emerges of Russia’s Wagner arming militia leader battling Sudan’s army,” CNN, April 21, 2023. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/20/africa/wagner-sudan-russia-libya-intl/index.html; “UAE behind RSF’s attempted coup in Sudan, leaked recording says,” Middle East Monitor, April 20, 2023. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230420-uae-behind-rsfs-attempted-coup-in-sudan-leaked-recording-says/; Adam Lucente, “From UAE to Sudan: US targets Middle East entities for Wagner ties,” Al-Monitor, June 28, 2023. https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/06/uae-sudan-us-targets-middle-east-entities-wagner-ties

5 “DTM Sudan: Weekly Displacement Snapshot 05,” IOM, October 3, 2023. https://dtm.iom.int/reports/dtm-sudan-weekly-displacement-snapshot-5?close=true

6 Ibid.

7 “Sudanese City Becomes Center of ‘New Phase’ of War,” The New York Times, July 11, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/11/world/africa/sudan-war.html

8 “Regional Sudan Response Situation Update,” IOM, August 29, 2023. https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/regional-sudan-response-situation-update-29-august-2023

9 “Rebel mobilization in southern Sudan raises fears of conflict spreading,” Reuters, June 9, 2023. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/rebel-mobilisation-southern-sudan-raises-fears-conflict-spreading-2023-06-08/

10 “Sudan: Humanitarian Update,” OCHA, August 31, 2023. https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-update-31-august-2023

11 Ibid.

12 Haffiya Abdalla, “Sudan launches national strategy to combat viral hepatitis,” Brown Land News, August 23, 2022. https://blnews.net/2022/08/sudan-launches-national-strategy-to-combat-viral-hepatitis/

13 “Regional Sudan Response Situation Update,” IOM, August 29, 2023. https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/regional-sudan-response-situation-update-29-august-2023

14 Ibid.

15 “African conflicts displace over 40 million people,” the African Center for Strategic Studies, August 23, 2023. https://africacenter.org/spotlight/african-conflicts-displace-over-40-million-people/

16 By 2050, it is projected to be a huge market of just over 2.5 billion people, accounting for one-fourth of the world’s population. Nii Simmonds and Gabrielle Gueye, “African diaspora leadership for the growth to 2.5 billion: An opportunity for engagement,” Center for Global Development, May 23, 2023. https://www.cgdev.org/blog/african-diaspora-leadership-growth-25-billion-opportunity-engagement

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sakane Koji

Sakane Koji is the former Chief Representative of the Sudan Office, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and currently an advisor to Ministry of Finance at Timor-Leste. He has worked in the fields of development and peacebuilding at JICA for more than 30 years. Before taking these posts, he served at several management posts, including Senior Director for Peacebuilding Office, Deputy Chief Secretary at President Office, Director of ASEAN Integration, and Director of Cambodia, and was liaised in Indonesia Office, Permanent Mission of Japan to United Nations (New York) and Cambodia Office. He is a Board Member of Global Peace Association of Japan (http://www.gpaj.org/about/board-of-directors), and a member author at International Information Network Analysis (IINA) of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) (https://www.spf.org/iina/en/author/koji_sakane.html), and Japan Society of International Development. He obtained a Master’s degree in Conflict Resolution at Bradford University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Waseda University.