Recently, our attention has been sharply turned toward the high-profile conflicts between Israel and Palestine, and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Graphic and horrifying images have flooded our screens of innocent citizens pleading with the international community to act on the atrocities being committed. However, despite the saturated media coverage of these two conflicts, it would be extraordinarily naive to believe that these are the only wars currently raging around the world.
The stark reality is as follows: over 100 conflicts are occurring worldwide, yet the average person may only be aware of a handful. This media spotlight—or lack thereof—has dire consequences. More than 120 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes. Over the past decade, over 2.2 million refugees have been displaced from South Sudan. During the five year period between 2013 and 2018, nearly 400,000 people were killed and an additional 4 million were internally displaced or fled the country. This begs the question: why do some conflicts dominate our news feeds while others are virtually ignored?
source 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/geography/comments/19435em/map_of_ongoing_armed_conflicts/#lightbox
Phil Orchard, an International Relations Professor at the University of Wollongong, provides a straightforward answer.
“Wars last a long time, and what we’ve seen over the past 30 years is that civil wars, in particular, tend to last longer than we expect,” Professor Orchard says.
His insight sheds light on this issue: the media focuses on conflicts that are either geographically closer, have significant geopolitical implications, or are new. As such, there are many prolonged conflicts that the world’s attention has towards diminished to the point of virtual invisibility. This lack of equal attention has dire implications, not only regarding global awareness of the conflict but also on the level of humanitarian services they receive to assist innocent victims or military efforts. Conflicts in Central Africa such as the South Sudanese Civil War, or the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar are often overlooked despite the severity of the conflict.
Professor Orchard says the complexities of prolonged war are a further obstacle to proper reporting. The Darfur region, for example, has been the epicentre of a civil war for almost two decades, and considering Australia’s intake of over 16,000 Sudanese refugees, one might expect Australian coverage of the conflict to be better. However, most mainstream media ignore the reporting of these events. Conflict in Darfur began in 2003 when rebels launched an insurrection protesting the Sudanese government. As a result of this initial conflict, over 200,000 Sudanese civilians died; this number represents two years of conflict. The conflict in Darfur is complicated as there are ‘dozens of different rebel organisations fighting the government, seeing more and more states brought into the conflict’ according to Orchard. The media seems to avoid conflicts where there is not a clear binary position, and in South Sudan, several factions are involved in the conflict, making it a difficult story to present. The beginning of new conflicts also forces older conflicts down the hierarchy of newsworthiness.
source 2: https://www.britannica.com/place/Sudan/Conflict-in-Darfur
Many would assume that a student doing a bachelor’s degree in history would be aware of the conflicts occurring in South Sudan and Myanmar. However, due to the complete lack of societal awareness, this isn’t the case. Holly Sargent, an ancient history student at the University of Wollongong, has shared how little she knows about these ongoing conflicts.
“I’d like to think that I have a rather good understanding of world politics, however, I can only consume what the media is providing me. It’s not easy to find information about what’s happening unless you are really looking,” Ms Sargent said.
A vicious cycle of invisibility becomes clear: once the conflict is no longer reported on, interest from the international community diminishes and this diminishment is seen as a justification for no longer reporting on the conflict. A sense of frustration can be felt when discussing this topic, as many people, once aware, have an authentic interest in becoming more educated, but are hamstrung by the lack of media coverage.
As a consequence of diminishing international attention and interest, the lack of visibility of a conflict can have a significant impact on the response of the international community. Equally destructive but less well-known conflicts can suffer from a lack of international aid, both humanitarian and military. In contrast, more visible wars often receive a higher proportion of international aid. This can exacerbate the suffering of those who are impacted by these so-called invisible wars. Here we are able to understand that the media’s role in conflict coverage is not only about reporting facts but also about shaping and sharing narratives. When high-profile conflicts are continuously placed at the forefront, they gain a narrative prominence that can influence international policy and aid distribution. Conversely, wars that are hidden from the public’s view may never see a level of aid that is commensurate with the level of suffering and loss caused by the conflict.
source 3: https://ipdefenseforum.com/2024/04/thailand-seeks-to-boost-humanitarian-aid-to-myanmar/
This is an area of concern for Professor Orchard.
“Australia and many other global north countries have the capacity to take in many more refugees than we do. We are always in the top three of resettlement, taking in roughly 20,000 refugees each program.”
Thhe majority of displaced people flock to refugee camps in the global south, living in remote areas where the suffering of people goes largely unreported by the media. Despite the desire of most displaced people to return to their country of origin, the extended nature of the conflicts, lack of resources, and the dangerous conditions that persist often make this untenable.
source 4: https://fcibglobal.com/country-risk-maps/
It is enormously important to acknowledge how significant the conflicts in Israel and Palestine have been along with Russia and Ukraine, and how they deserve to be covered by the global media. However, it is also imperative that be broadened. The global community must insist on comprehensive reporting that covers the numerous invisible conflicts that rage around the world, to ensure that equal and adequate attention is brought to them. In turn, this will assist in ensuring that all global citizens impacted by war are afforded a more balanced share of aid distribution and attention. As Professor Orchard’s insights suggest, recognising the longevity and complexity of civil wars is a crucial step towards a more informed and compassionate world.