What is astonishing is the willingness to abandon the sacrosanct motto of the #MeToo era: “I believe you.”
By Allan Wolman
When it comes to human rights abuses in Africa, particularly sexual violence against women, South Africa’s leadership skips a continent – its own – preferring to focus its energies on attacking Israel. Falsely accusing the Jewish state of genocide while mum on genocides far closer to home, exposes the moral bankruptcy of a nation that has squandered its potential inherited from the Mandela era.
In her op-ed in the NYT (21 March), Maebel Gebremedhin, cofounder and president of Tigray Action Committee and United Women of the Horn, highlighted the civil war between Ethiopia and Tigray. She describes this as one of the deadliest conflicts of this century with an estimated death toll of over half a million people and the region now facing widespread famine.
Coupled to this, over 100,000 women are believed to have been the victims of conflict-related sexual violence, and an estimated 40% of all Tigray women have been at the sharp end of “some type of gender-based violence”.
Gebremedhin goes on to say:
“Tigray stands as one of many stark examples of what happens when conflict-related sexual violence goes unchecked. It is time the world speaks up for African women and holds governments, armies and all perpetrators accountable for the crimes they are committing. If not, they may continue to suspect that when it comes to them, accountability and justice are only buzzwords”.
In the conflict-ridden landscape of Sudan and Darfur, sexual violence has been tragically weaponized, with the appalling practices of trafficking girls and perpetrating rape employed as brutal tools war. The BBC recently featured a documentary “Unveiling the Forgotten: Sudan’s Hidden Conflict” which delves into the heart of the struggle, revealing untold stories, shedding light on a conflict that has long been overshadowed by other global crises.
As the international community grapples with pressing global challenges, the BBC’s documentary serves as a timely reminder that Sudan’s forgotten war cannot be ignored. By amplifying the voices of those affected by the conflict, the film calls for renewed diplomatic efforts to address the root causes of violence and instability in the region.
The conflict in the region is attributed to tensions between Arab herders and non-Arab farmers over land, resources, and political power, with non-Arab groups accusing the Arab-dominated central government and militias like the Janjaweed of marginalization and discrimination. After the 2019 overthrow of al-Bashir, leadership in the Sudanese Armed Forces shifted, with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan assuming control of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), while Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemeti, led the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), playing a significant role in post-al-Bashir Sudanese politics, particularly stemming from his involvement in the Darfur conflict Hemeti, has faced accusations of involvement in ethnic and sexual violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. As the leader of the RSF, he has been accused of overseeing operations where such atrocities occurred. The RSF has been implicated in various human rights abuses, including allegations of ethnic cleansing, sexual violence, and other forms of violence against civilians. These accusations have led to international scrutiny and calls for accountability for those responsible for such acts.
It’s the same Hemeti who was hosted by President Ramaphosa in Pretoria in early January this year for “discussions” on his vision for ending the war in Sudan. Indeed, that was before South Africa had thought about grandstanding at the International Court of Justice. But it appears that Ramaphosa, a vocal advocate against gender-based violence, remained unmoved by the atrocities of genocide and sexual violence in Tigray and Sudan. Similarly, prominent women in South Africa, including Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor and UNHCR’s Chair Navi Pillay, remain silent on matters concerning their own continent.
To its credit, the NYT did expose the Hamas atrocities of sexual violence on Israeli women on 10/7. While the BBC extensively covered the Sudanese conflict on both TV and radio, their coverage of Israeli women victims of sexual violence remains mum. CNN, on the other hand, exposed the disturbing silence of UN Women, whose response only came after this revelation (some months later), once again underscoring the hashtag #MeToo Unless You’re a Jew.
About the writer:
Allan Wolman in 1967 joined 1200 young South Africans to volunteer to work on agricultural settlements in Israel during the Six Day War. After spending a year in Israel, he returned to South Africa where he met and married Jocelyn Lipschitz and would run one of the oldest travel agencies in Johannesburg – Rosebank Travel. He would also literally ‘run’ three times in the “Comrades”, one of the most grueling marathons in the world as well as participate in the “Argus” (Cape Town’s famed international annual cycling race) an impressive eight times. Allan and Jocelyn immigrated to Israel three years ago.
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