Introduction:
This study deals with the story of Sudan’s popular struggle that has been going on for more than a century against the system of obedience for food. This study takes the reader on a journey that sheds light on the general features of Sudan’s food enablers, as well as the status of its food system and its prewar performance, and highlights the profound impact that occurred during the first three months of the conflict. It also addresses some of the structural and historical factors responsible for perpetuating hunger and the fragility of the food system. Finally, the study reviews some of the current popular and grassroots alternatives and efforts to change this reality.
Preface: “Tropic of Chaos”
Located within the borders of the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Sudan is characterized by diverse landscapes that include the Sahara Desert in the north and the savannah plains and forests in the south. Amid this geographic fabric, however, lies a worrying reality: Sudan is increasingly subject to the violent consequences of climate change, manifested in the form of recurrent droughts and devastating floods. This region, referred to by Christian Parenti to as the “Tropic of Chaos” – a region of newly independent states grappling with severe economic and political crises, all while relying heavily on agriculture, herding and fishing for their livelihood.
These countries have served as proxy battlegrounds since the Cold War, leaving behind a legacy of armed groups, cheap weapons, and smuggling networks. In the late seventies, it was also forced by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to restructure its economies by applying neoliberal policies; its economies were over-privatized to such an extent that it included its armies. In his book “Tropic of Chaos, Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence”, Christian explores the view that violent changes in climate exacerbate pre-existing economic and political crises and already existing military interventions, producing what he calls the “catastrophic convergence,” which he explained: “I call this collision of political, economic, and environmental disasters the catastrophic convergence. By catastrophic convergence, I do not merely mean that several disasters happen simultaneously, one problem atop another. Rather, I argue that problems compound and amplify each other, one expressing itself through another.”
Abubakr Omer Dafallah Omer
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*This study was translated from Arabic. Kindly, find the original version on the Link
