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Summary

Independent Arabia interviewed former Senegalese Prime Minister Aminata Touré on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to discuss one of the pressing issues affecting both Africa and the Arab world today: the war in Sudan, which she feels has not received adequate media coverage or global attention as the world watches massacres and crimes against humanity.

Aminata Touré, Prime Minister of Senegal from 2013 to 2014, earned the nickname 'Iron Lady of Africa' for her role in fighting corruption. In her relatively politically stable country, Touré prosecuted a president, a president's son, and even her ex-husband on corruption charges.

Independent Arabia interviewed Touré on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, not to discuss her country's domestic affairs, but about one of the urgent issues affecting both Africa and the Arab world: the war in Sudan, which she believes has not received sufficient media coverage or global attention as the world watches massacres and crimes against humanity, including sexual violence against women, without concrete action to stop the war.

Stopping External Support: First Step

Aminata Touré says ending the war in Sudan requires first stopping external support in money and weapons, which has been documented by independent sources. She said: 'Everyone must take their hands off Sudan, by all means. A ceasefire must be imposed immediately, and then we must pursue all those who committed these massacres and acts of violence.'

In her interview with Independent Arabia, Touré called on the African and international communities as a whole to intervene quickly to stop these ongoing massacres that do not receive adequate coverage. She said: 'What is happening in Sudan in 2026 is a disgrace to all humanity. The war must stop, and I speak on behalf of all those whose voices are not heard.'

The former prime minister decried the weak media coverage of the war in Sudan, despite its catastrophic consequences and widespread reports of sexual violence on a scale not seen before. She said: 'It seems that few people care about the lives of people who did not choose to endure such a violent conflict.' She added: 'It is shameful that the international community remains largely silent about what is happening in Sudan. What we need is an immediate stop to the killing and the suffering of the people.'

She continued: 'The first step is to ensure that all foreign forces take their hands off Sudan, whoever they are. Then the African Union must make the Sudan issue its top priority. This is a priority for the entire African continent, and indeed for the international community as a whole, because human rights violations wherever they occur on this planet must be condemned and stopped.'

The Lives of Sudanese Are No Less Important Than Others

Touré criticized double standards, saying: 'The lives of women and children in Sudan are no less valuable than any other life anywhere on the continent or in any part of this world. Life is life, equal in value. We must raise our voices, ensure the necessary effort is made to stop these massacres, and bring the perpetrators to justice.'

Amid the failure of international institutions to resolve the conflict, the American role is seen as crucial, but so far the United States does not seem interested in throwing its full diplomatic weight behind ending the war in Sudan. In response to a question about the American approach, Touré said: 'I do not want to direct my speech to a specific country. What concerns me first is the intervention of the African Union because these massacres are taking place on African soil. And I call on the United Nations to be more effective, and I call on the entire international community to act. This is how we used to act in similar crises around the world.'

Regarding the risk of state collapse in Somalia and Sudan, and fears of its spread across Africa, the former Senegalese prime minister said: 'Africa is a diverse continent, and many of its regions are progressing. Yes, we have very sensitive situations, including the war in Sudan, but this should not be generalized to the entire continent. I am from Senegal, a stable country where we have been holding elections for decades, and we have developmental challenges of course, but it is a peaceful environment. And I can mention other countries as well. As for the war in Sudan, it is a special case, and we are talking to the entire world about it. It should not be seen solely as an African problem, but as a global problem.'

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Touré considered the weak coverage and neglect on the international agenda of human rights violations in Sudan to be painful and shameful, calling on all external parties to withdraw from that region. She said: 'Any involved state must take its hands off that part of the continent.' She called on the African Union and the United Nations to send envoys to quickly reach a ceasefire.

International Competition for the Continent

While foreign exploitation of Africa's resources preoccupies the continent's peoples, a fundamental question arises: How can African countries shape their external partnerships on their own terms? Touré responds that this shift has already begun, saying: 'Many still look at Africa with old eyes and outdated stereotypes, but that is no longer true. We are advancing, and let me remind you that we have about 300 million people belonging to the middle class, meaning we are an important consumer market. Development indicators have improved in most of our countries, and education has spread across African nations. When it comes to women's representation, we outperform many regions of the world. In Senegal, for example, women make up 43 percent of parliament members thanks to the gender equality law.'

Touré highlighted her participation in the Munich Security Conference last week, saying: 'I took part in a panel on the geopolitics of water, and I presented the example of the Senegal River Development Organization, an intergovernmental organization established in 1972 between Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea, and Mali to jointly manage the Senegal River. This is a model we can offer to the world today. So I invite those who analyze African affairs to put on new glasses, so they can recognize the positive trajectories underway. Let us stop reducing the continent to areas of tension only, and embrace it globally.'

On the role African institutions should play in the dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Touré said: 'We must work on de-escalation and mediation. The African Union is a strong and influential mechanism, and both countries are members. What is needed is a more effective preventive approach, based on listening to both sides and working towards a reasonable agreement that takes into account their interests. This is one of the urgent issues that must be dealt with seriously. As I mentioned, the Senegal River management model can be used in managing the Nile River between the two countries. There is no alternative to dialogue and rationality. I believe Africa possesses the wisdom, rooted in its cultures and traditions, in addition to legal frameworks, to reach a solution.'

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