Why solving Sudan war may require calming sesame tensions

Published 2024년 4월 17일

Tridge summary

The article explores the intricate role of the sesame trade in exacerbating conflict and political instability in Sudan and Ethiopia, as well as its broader implications for regional dynamics involving Middle Eastern countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, and Jordan. Highlighted by development experts from Chatham House, the lucrative sesame trade is identified as a central component of a conflict economy, particularly amid the civil war in Sudan since April 2023 and the previous conflicts in Ethiopia's Tigray region. The trade's significance extends beyond economic value, influencing political tensions and conflicts, with accusations of countries like the UAE supplying weapons to factions involved. The paper suggests that the unregulated nature of the sesame trade across borders fuels ongoing conflicts and advocates for a more regulated approach to trade to prevent conflict escalation and improve community livelihoods.

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Original content

Sudan, at war since April 2023, has not considered Ethiopia an enemy. However, the conflict within Sudan may require calming the ongoing sesame "wars" with Ethiopia before more foreign entities are attracted to what has indirectly fuelled the fighting inside Sudan. Two development experts at Chatham House say sesame, a grain often eaten as a snack or used to make pastries throughout the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, is not solely to blame for the violence. But its value and profits may be fuelling the conflict in Sudan and tensions on the border between Sudan and Ethiopia. “The sesame trade is no longer just a mainstay of local livelihoods in Ethiopia and Sudan. “Amid civil war and territorial rivalry on both sides of the border, it now plays a central role in a conflict economy that perpetuates violence and political instability,” they observe in their new paper: The ‘Conflict Economy’ of Sesame in Ethiopia and Sudan, which analyses how farming along the Ethiopia-Sudan ...

Source: Nation