By Noon Muzamil Elsharif 

Sudan's war has gone on for over a year and has been declared the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. Everyone agrees that the war must end, but many disagree on the necessary sequence of events. For the people in Sudan, the answer is quite clear: the end of the war simply means the expulsion of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia.

However, as only 10% of the population in Sudan speaks English, and the majority of the news is in Arabic, the dialogue regarding the war in English is left to the Western media and the Sudanese diaspora, who often impose their narratives, and paint the war as a "power struggle" or a war between two generals.

The recent massacre by the RSF in Wad Al Noura village, in Al Gezira province, left the Sudanese community shaken but also showed the true colors of some entities who refrain from accusing the RSF directly.

On June 5th, the RSF entered the village, attacking unarmed civilians, as they have done elsewhere, looting, and ravaging throughout the communities they’ve attacked.

The Sudanese Armed Forces were not present in Wad Al Noura during the massacre. There were no clashes between the two forces and no justification for the rising death toll.

Nour Al Daim Abdel Hamid, one of the leaders of the village of Wad Al Noura, told the media in a press conference that the death toll from the attack on the village had risen to 227 people, while those who were injured in the RSF attacks stood at 300.

Following the massacre, an RSF spokesperson alleged that they were targeting ‘ISIS.’

But the false allegations did not stop there as he further claimed that no children were killed, contrary to a UN report that well documented at least 35 children who were killed in the Wad Al Noura massacre.

Unfortunately western media’s use of passive language when addressing the war in Sudan has become a trend. Civilians are said to be 'killed' or 'raped', and vague headlines prevail with no mention of the culprits. In that sense, the RSF is not the only entity masking the truth and diverting the blame from itself.

New York-based US newswire, the Associated Press, better known as AP, published the following misleading headline shortly after Wad Al Noura massacre: "Sudanese RSF paramilitaries clash with the army, leaving at least 100 people dead.” With that, AP had shamelessly published false news alleging that the Sudanese Army was present during the massacre. It further painted the victims as mere casualties in an unfortunate sequence of events.

This is unacceptable, especially when survivors and witnesses in Wad Al Noura village reported that the RSF was going door to door killing unarmed, innocent civilians. It is a gross misrepresentation of the situation that only fuels the 'both sides' narrative and intentionally diverts the blame from the RSF.

More impartial and harmful headlines emerged in the following days. Relief Web, also based in New York, wrote "At least 55 children reportedly killed and injured amid fighting in Wad al Noura, Sudan.”

This headline also implies that the murders were mere casualties.

In Sudan, there is no question when it comes to which side is committing the most violence against the people and attempting at dismantling the Sudanese state. Yet, western media often imposes its own take on things in narratives that can only be seen as justifying war crimes to fulfill those media outlets’ agendas.

Sudan has also been betrayed by its neighbors.

The African Union Commission’s chief Moussa Faki condemned the massacre in a direct statement. However, his use of a passive language suggests otherwise.

"This horrific death toll is a grim reminder that in this senseless war, women and children bear the brunt of the wanton destruction perpetrated by the warring parties,” wrote Faki.

This language avoids pointing a direct blame at the real culprit behind the massacre, the RSF, despite clear testimonials from locals and reports by international organizations.

Moreover Faki unfairly blamed the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF, also referred to as Sudan’s National Army and The Sudanese Army), by putting it at par with the culprits when he stressed in his statement on “the urgent need for perpetrators of such atrocities to be held accountable.”

He added that the two Sudanese warring parties must “immediately return to the Jeddah ceasefire process…”

With that, Faki had skillfully used the massacre as a bargaining chip to tell the world that the warring parties must go back to Jeddah for negotiations, which then serves to paint the SAF as the villain for refusing to continue the negotiations.

Passive language and headlines must stop, and the RSF must be directly held accountable for the war crimes it has committed against the Sudanese.

It is vital to correct the narrative on what is really happening in Sudan, and make sure that western narratives, propaganda and misinformation are countered by embellishing the voices of Sudans’ people.

In that sense, it becomes imperative to make sure that the narrative is the same cross-board, be it in the English or Arabic media to have the world hear the real voices from Sudan.