THE conflict in Sudan is only a few weeks old but it has already pushed the Russian invasion of Ukraine which started in February 2022 to the back burner, for now.

While the Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, led by Gen. Fattah al Burhan and Gen. Mohammed Dagalo (Hemedti’s) Rapid Support Forces, RSF, fight it out in Khartoum and other cities, normal life has come to a stop for the civilian populace. Al Burhan and Dagalo were once allies who rallied to remove former dictator, Omar al-Bashir, from power.

They also ousted a civilian/military diarchy meant to work out the terms of full return to democracy. But, selfish economic interests and the involvement of superpower antagonists and other foreign interests, especially the United States and Russia on either side, could lead to a prolonged civil war in Africa’s third largest country by landmass.

Nigerians must pay quality attention to the lessons already identifiable in the Sudan crisis. Many talk about war as if it is a picnic that ends after a few hours. A shooting war that officially broke out on April 15, 2023 has already claimed hundreds of lives. Thousands of Sudanese are streaming across the borders to neighbouring countries while more people are trapped within their homes without food, water, power and fuel.

Evacuation by air is impossible because the Khartoum airport is a battle zone. Foreign missions are evacuating their nationals and diplomatic staff. Nigeria has an estimated 5,500 of our nationals stranded in the country, though the Federal Government is arranging with Egypt to evacuate them by road through Luxor in Egypt.

We must bear in mind that once a shooting war starts, things rapidly change from bad to worse, irrespective of who started the shooting. Self-acclaimed “messiahs” quickly become tormentors. When the Sudanese people went against Al-Bashir, all they wanted was a return to democracy. Ambitious military generals cashed in and now everyone is running for dear life.

We must also learn from the experiences of stranded foreigners on the streets of Khartoum and other cities. The crisis is only a few days old and Sudanese nationals have been seen on videos bludgeoning and killing foreigners. The quick resort to murderous xenophobia is a sign of pre-existing sentiments waiting for an avenue to rear its ugly head.

Here in Nigeria, we have been toying with the tinder box of ethnic profiling, hate speeches, “quit notices” and even organised attacks and arson in Lagos. Unfortunately, the law enforcement agencies failed to arrest the situation and serve notice that such would not be tolerated because of the danger they can ignite. This unwholesome situation is waiting for a spark, and we may be on our way – again.

It is sad we don’t learn lessons from our experiences and those of others.