Africa’s Forgotten Wars: Violence, Hunger, and the Unseen Human Cost of Global Neglect

Analysis

By Ruchika Sharma 

The warnings of ‘’grave human rights and protection emergencies’’ often accompany many of the conflicts and wars, drawing attention to the horrific crimes and widespread violations committed against civilians. As the world grapples with an era marked by multiple escalating wars and conflicts, like Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Iran, several of them remain ignored. Among the most neglected is Africa, a continent deeply affected by deadly violence and unrest. The serious violations of human rights across several regions continue to exist, while prospects for peace remain distant.

A report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre highlighted the increase in the number of displacements in Africa. By the end of 2023, around 35 million internal displacements were recorded, with 32.5 million displaced due to conflict and wars. Notably, 80 per cent of the displaced population is primarily concentrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan. Already unstable, these countries face an increased risk of renewed conflict due to changes in their demography. Africa also bears the disproportionate burden of climate change, which has triggered a sixfold rise in displacement, from 1.1 million in 2009 to 6.3 million in 2023. Floods alone account for over three-quarters of the displacement, while droughts contribute to another 11 percent, leading to famine due to the severe lack of food security. These crises also contribute to eroding cultural identity and social cohesion.

Despite the severity, wars in Africa are not only neglected but are mostly invisible in the media and policy circles. The neglect stems from a lack of geopolitical interest, cultural biases, stereotypes, and a lack of funding. Budget cuts in the media due to the lack of public interest sideline Africa's suffering. The scholars argue that unless the war involves the strategic interests of the West or its nationals, Africa seems less interesting to Western media. Reliance on parachute journalism, excluding grassroots reporting and research, allows stereotypes to take root. Breaking the Silence report substantiated this claim by revealing that in 2023, 273,000 articles were dedicated to the Barbie film, while merely 1,000 were related to catastrophes like droughts, floods, and hunger, which have affected millions of lives in Angola.

Another study examined international coverage on elections in Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and South Africa with comparably profiled countries like Malaysia and Thailand. The findings identified the systematic biases as African countries were framed via narratives of corruption and poverty, while the other countries were represented with greater neutrality. Consequently, Africa annually loses 3.2 billion pounds in increased interest payments on sovereign debts due to negative stereotypes perpetuated by international media. In this series, to understand the severity, the following case studies will also ground the analysis and arguments. 

Sudan: A forgotten war

The Sudan war, which the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, is a violent struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Force that has resulted in widespread human rights violations. Since April 2023, both sides have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including sexual violence, ethnic cleansing in Darfur, extrajudicial killings, and the siege of urban centers like Khartoum. The alleged foreign involvement of the UAE in supplying arms to the RSF, while Iranian drones assist the SAF, further worsens the war. Over 10.7 million people have been internally displaced, and 25.6 million are caught in acute hunger and on the verge of famine. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, Sudan appeared in fewer than 30,000 international news articles in 2024, while there were 450,000 articles on the Russia-Ukraine war. UNICEF's disturbing detail reveals men, women, and even children as young as one year old are the victims of systematic sexual violence. Weaponization of aid and looting by the forces forbids humanitarian relief from reaching the needy.

Cameroon: A silent civil war 

Often referred to as Africa in miniature due to its diverse landscape and cultural richness, Cameroon has been devastated by a civil war since late 2016. Violence across the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions has resulted in civilian killings, sexual violence, and kidnappings. Throughout the Anglophone crisis, along with school infrastructure, the staff is also targeted by the armed separatist groups. In the Far North region, the civilians are the target of armed Islamist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP. State, separatist fighters, and Islamist groups are involved in committing heinous crimes against the population. Since the Anglophone crisis began in late 2016, sparked by protests against Francophone dominance, the state has carried out militaristic operations to crack down on separatist groups seeking to create an independent Anglophone state called ''Ambazonia.'' Several journalists were killed under unclear circumstances in 2023, and the year was labeled as a dark year. In total, over 6,000 civilians have lost their lives, and 638,000 have been internally displaced. As per the NRC, the Cameroon crisis received limited global attention, with 30,000 articles appearing in 2024, again dwarfed by coverage of the Ukraine conflict. Even UN aid fell short, raising only 45 percent of its $371 million requirement. Mozambique and other African countries are facing cuts in their funding by the US, which could make the coming years more challenging for populations in need. 

Ethiopia: War and Hunger

In 2020, the Ethiopian government's war against the rebels Tigray People's Liberation Front, in Northern Tigray plunged the country into a deadly civil war. Mass killings, widespread systematic sexual violence against 10,000 women and girls, starvation, and forced displacements resulted in large-scale suffering and destruction. Ethnic cleansing emerged as one of the deadliest outcomes of the conflict. The International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia documented multiple actors, including Ethiopian and Eritrean forces, also responsible for committing heinous war crimes, especially in Amhara and Oromia.

Although the Pretoria Agreement , promoting peace, was signed in November 2022, Tigray was devastated by war. By the time this agreement was signed, approx 600,000 people had already lost their lives. In 2021 alone, 5.1 million were internally displaced, marking the highest number of IDPs in any country in a single year at that time. Tigray is on the verge of famine, and the government is accused of obstructing humanitarian assistance. To escape the conflict, thousands of people have fled to neighboring Sudan, and due to restricted humanitarian aid, at least 2.3 million people are in urgent need of aid. 

Burkina Faso: Rising Jihadist Violence and Massacre

A landlocked country in western Africa has witnessed recurrent coups. Burkina Faso, meaning the land of incorruptible people, has been devastated by years of brutal violence accelerated by Islamic extremists, the state and its army, and militias. The current instability in the Sahel can be traced back to the collapse of the Libyan state in 2011 after Western interference, which led to surge in weapons and armed militants across the region. Solhan, a small community a few km from Sebba, the main city in Yagha Province bordering Mali and Niger, has witnessed civilians and soldiers getting attacked by jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda and IS. In one of the deadliest attacks in 2021, suspected jihadists massacred 138 civilians. It is one of the worst incidents since the eruption of Islamic violence in 2015. As we move into 2025, Al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama'a Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin and IS Sahel Province have launched a spate of lethal attacks. The use of drones, mortars, and shellings, along with IEDs, has intensified.  UNHCR report highlighted that at the end of 2024, over 2.1 million people were displaced internally, and approximately 208,812 Burkinabe refugees and asylum seekers were in urgent need of international protection and aid. To sustain operations and programs, around $110.4 million is needed. Already, the conflict-ridden Burkina Faso has 40,000 refugees from Mali. Burkina Faso's fractured situation also tops the list of ‘’most neglected crisis’’.

In the Global Terrorism Index, which assesses the impacts of terrorism in 163 countries, Burkina Faso ranked first in 2025. In the first half of 2024, more than 2500 civilians were already killed. Markedly, the Burkina Faso army is not only behind in committing brutal violence. It also participated in the massacre of more than 130 ethnic Fulani civilians by pro-government militias in the western Boucle du Mouhoun region in March 2025.

Somalia: Drone Warfare and Rise of War Influencers

Inter-clan conflict and the government's offensive military operations against al-Shabaab have resulted in violence and instability. Several civilians have lost their lives in the raging conflict, forcing thousands to flee. Sexual violence, killings and torture, and widespread abuses against women, girls, and children are rampantly committed by al-Shabaab, security forces, and clan militias. Approximately 4.4 million people were anticipated to require urgent food aid in 2024. The challenge is further worsened with the increased use of IED attacks, suicide bombings, and targeted assassinations by the militant group, al-Shabaab, resulting in hundreds of civilians losing their lives in 2024. In a deadly attack in a restaurant in the capital, Mogadishu, 37 civilians died and over 200 were injured.

In a government's offensive operation against the al-Shabaab, the children are also caught in the deadly cycle of violence. Last year in March, 14 children were killed in a Turkish-made drone strikes, near Bagdad village, gripped by heavy fighting throughout the year. In support of the army's operation against al-Shabaab, the US confirmed carrying out strikes. In 2022, a major offensive led to the recapture of significant territories previously held by the armed group. The first drone strike carried out by IS-Somalia in January, alongside seven IED attacks, to defend its stronghold at Cali Miskat Mountain, was reported. In May 2024, group leader Sheikh Abdulkadir Mumin survived a U.S. airstrike in Puntland. While Trump-ordered strikes in the Golis Mountains reportedly killed IS leaders, identities are yet to be confirmed.

Inter-clan is another cause of deadly violence. In the Galmudug state, a conflict over scarce resources culminated in civilian killings. The military court continues to sentence people to death. In Galmudug last year, two men were executed by the court. In another horrific incident, in Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland, 10 people were executed, out of whom 4 were children, accused of having links with al-Shabaab. According to the UN, the aid delivery is obstructed from reaching nearly half of the 350,000 displaced people in Somalia due to bureaucratic obstacles, attacks on aid workers, and restrictions from warring factions. Meanwhile, female genital mutilation remains a brutal form of gender-based violence.

Somalia remains on a violent trajectory, further fueled by war influencers inciting unrest. Long-standing inter-clan conflicts have led to the rise of tribal militias which is creating more divisions within the society. The rift with Puntland adds to President Mohamud’s challenges, as he faces rising piracy and seeks to reassert federal control over Somaliland after its port deal with Ethiopia. The self-governing region of Somalia and the broader Horn of Africa region, Somaliland’s independence remains unrecognized by Somalia and the foreign governments. Many Somalis are also resentful of the prolonged presence of foreign troops, one of al-Shabaab’s key justifications for its insurgency.

What lies ahead?

The confluence of fragile governance, recurrent coups and violence, military dictatorship, poverty, hunger, climate change, and corruption affects almost every part of the continent. Addressing these challenges is a collective responsibility involving states, civil society, and groupings like ECOWAS and the African Union to promote greater regional cooperation among the member states. A robust information and intelligence gathering could help in combating terrorism, which has battered the Sahel region. By moving away from parachute journalism to strengthening local media, individuals as well as policymakers can access reliable information free from bias. Importantly, in a post-conflict, peace-building measures should not only focus on elections but also on addressing local grievances of the communities and the root causes of violence. One of the examples is MONUSCO, the UN's largest and costliest peacekeeping mission, which failed to establish a durable peace. Meanwhile, along with foreign intervention like the supplying of weapons, the presence of private militias undermines the sovereignty of a country, favoring incumbent elites and skewing resource distribution.

Politicization and weaponization of aid also present major structural challenges. The controlled and politically manipulated aid under RSF in Sudan highlights the greater role of organizations like the UN and WHO in delivering transparent and politically neutral aid. It is crucial to understand that to address the severe ongoing-crisis in Africa, not only regional commitment but also meaningful global engagement that prioritizes justice, welfare and long-term development and support to empower the population.

Disclaimer: This paper is the author's individual scholastic contribution and does not necessarily reflect the organization's viewpoint.