The Wretched of the Earth and Migration to the North: A Return to the Arena of Old Colonialism

Dr Al-Haitham Al-Kindi Yousif
Individual incidents often become catalysts for political controversy, and the recent stabbing incident in Belfast—allegedly involving a Sudanese migrant—falls squarely within this pattern. Europe’s far right was quick to seize upon the event, propelling it to the forefront of the media landscape and using it as a pretext to demand stricter laws and new legislation to curb the movement of people. Yet this narrow security-centred reductionism and the political exploitation of migration fail to address the essence of the problem. Indeed, they deliberately overlook the deeper causes that make migration a consequence rather than a cause.
Human beings are, by their very nature, emotionally attached to their homeland and their land. Few people abandon the place in which they were raised unless compelled by overwhelming circumstances. The poverty, drought and civil wars that afflict much of Africa today are the direct outcome of decades of Western policies and interventions. Western powers have played a significant role in igniting and sustaining conflicts through the supply of weapons and the promotion of divisive narratives. This is in addition to the devastating effects of global warming, for which the major industrialised nations bear primary responsibility, and which has entrenched drought across vast areas of the African continent. Moreover, the continued exploitation of Africa’s resources and the denial of opportunities for development and future prosperity have made poverty and Africa appear inseparably linked.
When these underlying factors are examined in the Sudanese context, it becomes evident that the West—particularly the United States and Britain, through the Quartet mechanism—was among the principal architects of the Framework Agreement, which many regard as a key factor leading to the outbreak of the April 2023 war. According to estimates by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, approximately 4.4 million people fled to neighbouring countries as a result of the conflict, many of whom have contemplated Europe as their ultimate destination. At the same time, drought has intensified across Sudan in recent years. According to United Nations estimates, desertification advances southwards at a rate of between five and eight kilometres annually. War and drought together have become the primary drivers behind the increase in poverty levels, which government reports issued in May estimated at 73 per cent of the population.
In this context, it becomes clear that the migrant who risks his life under such circumstances is not a perpetrator but, in reality, a victim of an unjust global order. The system that today rejects the movement of Africans towards the Northern Hemisphere is rooted in the same historical structures that once drove their ancestors into slavery, turning them into fuel for the Industrial Revolution through oppression and brutality. Today, there appears to be an attempt to reproduce aspects of that colonial logic through new tools and policies. Here, one may recall the words of the thinker Frantz Fanon in his book The Wretched of the Earth:
“Europe is literally the creation of the Third World… the wealth which smothers her is that which was stolen from the underdeveloped peoples.”
Fanon’s argument is that contemporary Western prosperity is historically indebted to people who were impoverished through colonial exploitation. From this perspective, viewing migration solely through a security lens constitutes both a moral and intellectual fallacy.
If Europe genuinely wishes to reduce migration flows, it must fundamentally change its current approach. One cannot treat the symptoms while leaving the disease to ravage the body. Restrictive legislation and fortified borders will not deter a person fleeing death, hunger or destitution. Migration will continue so long as Western governments treat the issue as a political instrument in the competition between the right and the left.
The real solution lies in moving away from the logic of legal and security deterrence towards a framework of developmental partnership. Europe must make a serious contribution to the stability and prosperity of Africa by:
Investing meaningfully in infrastructure and education.
Developing energy systems, healthcare sectors and disease-control programmes.
Ending military interventions and the fuelling of armed conflicts.
Ceasing the exploitation and depletion of Africa’s natural resources.
Contributing to efforts to combat drought and desertification through reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting environmental protection initiatives, such as windbreak projects.
Supporting transparency and good governance within African states.
The Belfast incident, painful as it is, should serve as a warning bell, redirecting the discussion towards historical and moral responsibility. The world will not achieve lasting stability while the wealth of the Global South continues to be extracted to sustain the prosperity of the North, only for the victims of this imbalance to be told to remain trapped in war, deprivation and famine.
Migration is the natural outcome of humanity’s search for security and dignity. It will not cease until peace, justice and sustainable development are achieved for Africa and its peoples.

Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=14864