Photo/Illutration A man walks by a house hit in recent fighting in Khartoum, Sudan, on April 25. (AP Photo)

An airliner crashes overseas. “There were no Japanese passengers on board,” the newscaster says “gleefully,” according to “JAM,” a song by the Japanese rock band The Yellow Monkey.

The lyrics continue, “What am I supposed to think? What am I supposed to say?”

It is perfectly human to worry about the safety of someone close when an unexpected tragedy occurs.

I understand that overseas media reporters also make comments like those above. However, if they were the only remarks, there definitely would be important information missing.

Fifty-eight Japanese citizens and their families in Sudan who were waiting to be evacuated from the capital of the conflict-ridden country have been successfully flown out.

I was pained to see a photo of the back of a small child who was sitting at an evacuation center. How frightening the long journey to safety must have felt. For now, I just want to be glad that everyone got out safely.

At the same time, however, I do not want to forget about the people of Sudan. According to the United Nations, the national armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces suddenly started fighting in this heavily populated nation of 48 million, and foreign nationals have barely managed to escape.

But the situation is dire for the locals, who cannot leave their country amid what is effectively a civil war.

Sudanese citizens in the capital have been stranded without any food or water, and many have already reached their limits, according to a foreign news report.

Bodies are left on the streets, and armed soldiers are said to be looting shops and private residences.

While the war in Ukraine continues, a conflict has begun in Sudan and lives are being lost.

I hear a song lamenting the folly of humans--animals that can’t stop fighting: “What am I supposed to say?”

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 26

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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