[banach]

Ah yes, blame the lack of rulers and not colonialism or war.

[cherryteastain]

They have been independent since 1956. Other (majority non-European) British colonies/protectorates as diverse as Singapore (ind. 1965), Belize (ind. 1981), India (ind. 1947) and UAE (ind. 1971) managed to build peaceful societies.

We need to recognize that the people of countries like Sudan are not children who don't know any better, contrary to European leftists' views. They are fully functioning adults who made a series of choices that led to the present situation.

[Tade0]

> We need to recognize that the people of countries like Sudan are not children

Nitpicking here, but Sudan specifically only passed the median population age of 18 in the 2020s.

[bogle]

On gaining independence in 1956 Sudan endured two civil wars with up to a million deaths in the first civil war and between one and two million deaths in the second civil war.

Colonial governments like the British often (almost always) left a mess behind them.

[infrawhispers]

Comparing Sudan to Singapore, India and the UAE is comical. This level of analysis on HackerNews, that ignores the realities of how different countries evolve / are influenced is why we cannot have an honest conversation.

[bogle]

I don't think India is a great example here. The Partition of India in 1947 resulted in over 1 million deaths.

[rmbyrro]

Every single piece of land on Earth has been attacked and colonized at least once. Why have some peoples managed to do well and others so bad? I think there's something more to learn.

[unnamed76ri]

Sudan has been a sovereign nation for 70 years. How many years must pass before you can no longer blame colonialism for their choices?

[sdenton4]

It's a bit like asking why we still blame lead for lead poisoning 70 years after it was painted on the wall...

[ChrisMarshallNY]

Why not all of the above?

I lived in Nigeria, when they had the Biafra War[0]. That also killed a heck of a lot of folks. The problem, there, was sort of too many rulers.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Civil_War

[nemo44x]

If anything I’d blame the lack of colonialism as being the root cause of their problems.

[rmbyrro]

Are you perhaps assuming they have no chance of learning to govern themselves peacefully?

I don't subscribe to this fixed mindset. I believe all peoples can learn to do well. It's hard, but possible. So the lack of conolialism isn't the answer, but lack of learning.

[plouffy]

Have you read the article ? Where does it mention lack of rulers ?

[bogle]

Seeing as the link is to a single paragraph and the actual article appears not to exist, has anyone read it?

"This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “An intensifying calamity”"

You have to use the 'archive.ph' link in the HN commens to find it.