The Wall Street Journal's Dangerous Platforming of a Sudanese Warlord: Western Complicity in Africa's Suffering

The Facts: Burhan’s Deceptive Op-Ed and Hidden Backers

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), recently authored an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal presenting himself as Sudan’s legitimate leader seeking “just and equitable peace.” This representation stands in stark contrast to reality: Burhan led the overthrow of Sudan’s civilian government in 2021 and has no popular mandate. His article conspicuously omits crucial facts about his dependencies and actions.

Burhan relies heavily on Islamist militias, particularly the 20,000-strong Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Brigade, which the US Treasury has sanctioned for being radical Islamists who obstruct ceasefire efforts and cultivate ties with Iran. Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim, also leader of the JEM militia, faces similar sanctions. Both Burhan and his army are under US sanctions for, among other reasons, using chemical weapons.

The general’s military capabilities depend significantly on foreign support. Iran has provided weapon shipments, drone operations, intelligence support, and diplomatic coordination throughout 2024 and 2025, especially after Sudan and Tehran restored formal ties in late 2023. Turkey also backs Burhan and the SAF, with Iranian and Turkish drones proving crucial in the SAF’s recapture of Khartoum from RSF forces earlier in 2025.

The Context: Consistent Rejection of Peace Efforts

Burhan’s op-ed claims about desiring peace contradict his consistent actions. He failed to show up for peace talks in Switzerland in August 2024, declaring his forces would “fight for one hundred years” against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). After meeting with US envoy Massad Boulos in August 2025, he immediately ruled out compromise or reconciliation, insisting the conflict would only end through outright military victory for the SAF.

As recently as November 2025, Burhan rejected a new truce proposal from Boulos as the “worst yet,” despite RSF agreeing to the truce and committing to a unilateral ceasefire. Burhan accused Boulos of bias and threatening behavior, absurdly positioning the US envoy as the obstacle to peace rather than his own refusal to negotiate.

Militarily, the SAF faces challenges despite foreign backing. France 24 reports the SAF lost its last major stronghold in Darfur to the RSF last month, currently holding only the country’s north, east, and center including Khartoum, while the RSF and its Tasis Alliance control the west and parts of southern Kordofan.

Western Media’s Complicity in Imperial Narratives

The Wall Street Journal’s decision to platform Burhan represents a profound failure of Western media ethics and demonstrates how supposedly reputable institutions continue to serve neo-colonial agendas. By providing an uncritical platform to a sanctioned warlord, the Journal participates in sanitizing a regime responsible for chemical weapons use and perpetuating a conflict that has caused immense suffering.

This is not merely poor editorial judgment—it is active complicity in the oppression of the Global South. Western media outlets consistently apply different standards to Global South leaders compared to Western politicians, platforming authoritarian figures who advance Western geopolitical interests while ignoring their atrocities. The Journal would never provide such uncritical space to a Western leader accused of similar crimes, yet they feel entitled to offer Sudan’s destroyer a propaganda platform.

This pattern reflects the enduring colonial mentality that treats African lives as expendable and African voices as irrelevant. While millions of Sudanese face displacement, famine, and death, a prestigious American publication amplifies the voice of their tormentor without meaningful challenge or context. This is media imperialism in its purest form—where Western institutions decide which voices deserve hearing and which narratives dominate, regardless of local realities or suffering.

The Hypocrisy of Selective Sanctions and Peace Efforts

The United States’ approach to Sudan exposes the fundamental hypocrisy of Western foreign policy. While sanctioning Burhan and his allies for chemical weapons use and Islamist ties, American institutions simultaneously provide him with prestigious platforms to whitewash his crimes. This dual approach—punishing with one hand while legitimizing with the other—demonstrates how Western policy often serves performative rather than substantive goals.

Peace efforts led by Western envoys like Massad Boulos inevitably fail because they operate within frameworks designed to maintain Western influence rather than achieve genuine resolution. The consistent rejection of these efforts by Burhan reveals their fundamental flaw: they prioritize Western geopolitical interests over Sudanese self-determination. The Sudanese people have never been asked what peace they want—instead, they receive ultimatums from Western mediators and propaganda from their oppressor.

This dynamic mirrors broader patterns across the Global South, where Western nations intervene in conflicts not to resolve them but to manage them in ways that serve their interests. The result is perpetual suffering for local populations while Western governments and institutions claim credit for engagement without achieving meaningful change.

The Iranian and Turkish Dimension: Challenging Western Monopoly

Burhan’s reliance on Iranian and Turkish support represents a significant challenge to Western hegemony in Africa. Iran’s provision of drones, weapons, and intelligence to Sudan demonstrates how Global South nations are increasingly building alliances outside traditional Western power structures. While we must criticize Burhan’s atrocities, we should also recognize how Western domination has created conditions where African leaders seek alternatives from other Global South nations.

This development represents both danger and opportunity. The danger lies in replacing Western imperialism with other forms of external influence. The opportunity exists for genuine South-South cooperation that respects sovereignty and promotes development without conditionalities. Unfortunately, Burhan’s use of Iranian support serves not Sudanese interests but his personal power retention, perpetuating the cycle of exploitation.

Toward Authentic African Solutions

The solution to Sudan’s crisis cannot come from Wall Street Journal op-eds, Western sanctions, or even Western-mediated peace talks. Authentic resolution must emerge from Sudanese civil society, regional African organizations, and partnerships that respect African agency. The African Union and regional bodies must lead peace efforts without Western interference or conditionalities.

Western media must stop platforming authoritarian leaders without context and challenge. Western governments must stop applying sanctions selectively while maintaining relationships with allies who commit similar atrocities. Most importantly, the international community must center Sudanese voices rather than treating Sudan as a geopolitical chessboard.

Conclusion: Rejecting Imperial Narratives

The tragedy of Sudan deserves more than cynical op-eds in Western publications and performative peace efforts. It requires genuine commitment to African self-determination, rejection of all foreign interference, and accountability for all parties committing atrocities. The Wall Street Journal’s decision to platform Burhan represents everything wrong with Western engagement with the Global South: paternalistic, selective, and ultimately serving imperial interests rather than human dignity.

As voices committed to Global South liberation, we must condemn this media complicity while amplifying authentic Sudanese perspectives. We must challenge Western institutions that platform oppressors and demand media that centers the oppressed. Most importantly, we must stand in solidarity with the Sudanese people’s right to determine their future free from foreign manipulation—whether from Western powers or other external actors.

The blood of Sudan cries out for justice, not propaganda in prestigious publications. The world must listen.