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Three Wars — Research Notes

For the fifth essay. The girl in Minab, the girl in Dilling, the girl in Gaza. Compiled: March 4, 2026 (Day 50)

I. THE THESIS

Three wars happening simultaneously. The world watches one, glances at another, and barely knows about the third.

Iran — Operation "Epic Fury." Heavily covered. Images everywhere. Immediate global response.
Gaza — Covered, but the ceasefire was choking while cameras turned to Tehran. Crossings closed. Starvation.
Sudan — The war nobody covers. The world's largest humanitarian crisis. Almost invisible.

The essay asks: who gets watched and who doesn't? What makes some suffering visible and other suffering invisible? The girl in Minab, the girl in Dilling, the girl in Gaza. All three were in school. Only one made headlines.

II. IRAN — THE WAR EVERYONE SAW

The Attack (Feb 28, 2026)

US-Israel joint strikes on Iran. Operation "Epic Fury" / "Roaring Lion."
Over 1,200 munitions dropped across 24 of Iran's 31 provinces.
Total death toll: 1,045 dead in Iran, hundreds injured.
Six American soldiers killed, 18 injured.
Regional spillover: 50 dead in Lebanon, 4 in Kuwait, 3 in UAE.

The Minab School

Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' elementary school in Minab, southeastern Iran.
~180 young children killed (Iranian state media; figures vary: 165-180).
Located near an IRGC base — the target of another airstrike the same day.
Mass funeral held for 165 schoolgirls and staff.
Verified by NYT, Washington Post, Reuters, and Iranian fact-checkers (Factnameh).
UNESCO condemned it as "a grave violation of humanitarian law."
Malala Yousafzai spoke out.
Second school also hit: Narmak, Tehran.

Hospitals Damaged

Gandhi Hospital (IVF department destroyed)
Khatam al-Anbiya
Aboozar Children's Hospital

Why It Was Visible

The US and Israel are globally dominant news subjects.
Iran is a geopolitical axis — covered because of oil, nukes, regional power.
Clear perpetrator, clear target. Dramatic imagery.
Immediate diplomatic consequences (Khamenei confirmed dead).

Key Detail for Essay

Melania Trump presided over a UN meeting promoting "peace through education" AFTER the school bombing. The juxtaposition.

III. GAZA — THE WAR THAT WAS FADING

The Ceasefire Choking

Israel shut ALL crossings into Gaza when the Iran strikes began (March 1-2, 2026).
Longest closure Gaza has ever faced — over seven weeks with no humanitarian or commercial supplies.
WFP ran out of food stocks in Gaza.
José Andrés (WCK): cooking 1 million meals/day, running out of supplies.
One in five households consuming only ONE meal daily.

The Starvation

COGAT claimed "sufficient food" had entered since ceasefire — provided no evidence.
Palestinians rush to markets haunted by memories of 2025 Ramadan, when crossings closed and famine spread.
Israel accused of reinstating "starvation policy."
Philippe Lazzarini (UNRWA head): "People still lack the most basic supplies."

March 4, 2026

Aid trucks re-entered Rafah after three-day closure.
But the damage is ongoing — fuel shortages affect bakeries, hospitals, desalination plants.
Solid waste collection suspended.

Why It Was Fading

The Iran strikes sucked all oxygen from the room.
"Gaza's ceasefire had momentum. Now, some fear a new war in Iran will distract the world." — PBS
The ceasefire was never stable. It was already fragmenting before Iran.

Key Detail for Essay

Two million people. One week of food. The cameras pointed at Tehran.

IV. SUDAN — THE WAR NOBODY COVERS

Background: How Allies Became Enemies

The Janjaweed → RSF pipeline:

1980s: Sudanese government arms Arabic-speaking Abbala nomads as counterinsurgency against Chadian incursions.
2003: Darfur rebellion. These militias — now called Janjaweed — are unleashed as counterinsurgency. Mass atrocities follow.
2013: Omar al-Bashir formalizes the Janjaweed into the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and appoints Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ("Hemedti") as commander.
RSF becomes Bashir's personal protection force, border guards, and mercenaries (deployed to Yemen for Saudi coalition).
Hemedti grows wealthy controlling gold mines.

The 2019 revolution and coup:

2019: SAF (led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan) and RSF (Hemedti) jointly oust Bashir.
Transitional government formed. Burhan = head, Hemedti = deputy.
2021: SAF and RSF jointly coup against civilian PM Hamdok. Suspend constitution.

Why they split:

Burhan restored old-guard Islamist officials from Bashir era — threatened Hemedti's position.
Power struggle over gold sector control.
2023: Key flashpoint — the question of integrating RSF into the national army. Neither leader willing to lose power.
April 15, 2023: War begins. RSF attacks SAF positions in Khartoum.

The Scale

~400,000 estimated dead (as of 2026; some estimates vary — HRW World Report says 40,000 confirmed, real toll far higher).
14 million displaced (7.4M internally, 4.2M to neighboring countries). Largest displacement crisis on earth.
33.7 million people need urgent humanitarian assistance — two-thirds of Sudan's population. Half are children.
24.6 million face acute hunger; 2 million face famine.
Famine confirmed in multiple areas of North Darfur.
RSF used starvation as a method of warfare — confirmed war crime (UN FFM).

The El Fasher Massacre (October 2025)

The center of the essay's Sudan section.

El Fasher: capital of North Darfur. Last major city under SAF control.
RSF besieged it for 18 months (from May 2024).
October 26-27, 2025: RSF took El Fasher.
6,000 documented killings in three days (UN OHCHR). Actual toll "undoubtedly significantly higher."
At least 4,400 killed within the city, 1,600+ along escape routes.
260,000 civilians trapped when the assault began.
80,000 fled. Only ~7,000 arrived in Tawila (60km away). Tens of thousands remain unaccounted for.

Ethnic targeting:

RSF fighters targeted Zaghawa and Fur communities specifically.
"Is there anyone Zaghawa among you? If we find Zaghawa, we will kill them all."
"We want to eliminate anything black from Darfur."
Adolescent boys and men under 50 specifically targeted.
UN Fact-Finding Mission: "hallmarks of genocide."
Three genocide acts identified: killing group members, causing serious harm, deliberately inflicting destructive conditions.

The Saudi Hospital massacre (October 28):

Saudi Maternity Hospital — the LAST functioning hospital in El Fasher.
Over 460 patients and companions shot and killed.
Videos show RSF fighters walking through ransacked wards, stepping over bodies, shooting survivors.
Six health workers abducted: four doctors, one nurse, one pharmacist.
Named: Dr. Omran (killed, Abu Shouk clinic), Dr. Mahmoud (killed, Zamzam Relief Hospital), Pharmacist Amna (killed).

Dr. Mohamed's testimony (OCHA):

Dropped from 88 kg to 50 kg from malnutrition.
"You see a patient bleeding in front of you and cannot help because there is no blood to give them."
Used mosquito nets as gauze. Administered expired medications. Surgery by flashlight.
"None of us are sane anymore. Psychologically we are all sick."
A baby survived a drone strike that killed its mother — thrown from her body by the blast.
A nine-month pregnant woman arrived with shrapnel injuries; staff saved both mother and newborn.

Survivor testimonies (Amnesty International, 28 interviews):

Ahmed, 21: Wife killed by shrapnel. Brother executed at Golo. "They said, 'In El Fasher, there are no civilians, everybody is a soldier.'" Reached Tawila with two girls (ages 3-4) after 60km.
Daoud, 19: Fled with seven friends. All seven killed by RSF gunfire at the berm. "They shot at us from all directions. I watched my friends die."
Khalil, 34: 17 of 20 men in his group killed. Survived by feigning death. "The RSF were killing people as if they were flies. It was a massacre."
Badr, 26: Witnessed execution of three elderly men. Held for ransom (20+ million Sudanese pounds / $8,880 USD). Witnessed filmed execution during ransom negotiation.
Ibtisam: Left Abu Shouk with five children. Raped at Golo. Her 14-year-old daughter also raped; the daughter died at Tawila clinic. "She came to me and said, 'Mum, they raped me too, but do not tell anyone.'"
Khaltoum, 29: Five men in her group killed at "Babul Amal" gate. Selected with ~11 women for "search." Raped three times. Ten other women also raped.

Aid worker testimony (Shashwat Saraf, Norwegian Refugee Council):

"Everybody you talk to is missing family members."
"They come here completely dehydrated, disoriented. Some don't even know their own names."
Unaccompanied children as young as 3 arriving alone.
Militants extort fleeing civilians: 2.5-5 million Sudanese pounds ($4,000-8,000) for passage.

The Ardamata Massacre (November 2023)

Earlier massacre that set the pattern.

Ardamata, West Darfur. November 1-8, 2023.
Between 800-2,000 killed (UN says 800+, local NGOs say 1,300+).
House-to-house searches. Men separated from women. Summary executions.
Ethnically targeted: Masalit, Tama, Erenga communities.
20,000 fled to Chad.
An 18-day-old infant found dead alongside their mother and four other women.
Witness: "The distressing scenes of RSF soldiers executing young men... continue to haunt my thoughts every day."

Dilling (March 2, 2026 — the same day as Iran strikes)

Seven neighborhoods shelled: Al-Turuq, Al-Marafid, Kajanq, Al-Hilla Al-Jadeeda, Billa, Kanjar, Al-Mak.
Artillery and drone strikes on residential areas.
Joint attack by RSF and SPLM-N.
Civilian casualties — exact numbers unconfirmed.
This was happening on the same day the world was watching Iran.
Since February 3: repeated drone attacks on Dilling causing dozens of civilian casualties.

The Children

19 million children out of school — the world's largest education emergency.
90% of schools closed nationwide.
10,400 schools shuttered in conflict zones.
Schools destroyed, turned into military barracks or cemeteries. Bookstores burned.
54% of schools in active conflict zones. 18% used as shelters.
4 million children under 5 projected to suffer acute malnutrition this year.
730,000 will die from severe cases unless treated immediately.
In North Darfur, more than half of all children are acutely malnourished.
In Um Baru: children "wasting away."
At Tine: nearly half of children had been sick in the previous two weeks.
5 million children displaced — 5,000 children per day.
UNICEF: "1,000 days of agony."
Children eating ambaz — animal feed made from leftover beans and sesame after oil extraction.
Projected economic cost: $26 billion in lifetime earnings lost for the war-impacted generation.
Disease outbreaks: cholera (120,000+ cases, 3,000+ deaths), malaria, measles, polio, dengue.

Sexual Violence

1,294 documented incidents of sexual and gender-based violence across 14 states.
At least 330 cases of conflict-related sexual violence documented (actual numbers far higher).
RSF pattern: (1) home invasions + rape during territorial advances, (2) attacks in public spaces as control solidifies, (3) long-term detention with torture, gang rape, forced marriage.
Zamzam camp (April 2025): 104 people subjected to sexual violence including 75 women, 26 girls, 3 boys. Mostly Zaghawa.
Girls as young as 15 documented.

Healthcare Destruction

70% of hospitals in conflict zones have ceased functioning.
201 verified attacks on healthcare since April 2023.
1,858 health workers and patients killed, 490 injured.
In 2025 alone: 65 attacks verified, causing 1,620+ deaths.
Al Mujlad Hospital (West Kordofan): 40+ killed including children and health workers.
Saudi Hospital (El Fasher): hit more than 10 times.
MSF suspended operations at Zalingei hospital after armed attack during cholera outbreak.

Aid Under Attack

2024 was the deadliest year on record for aid workers in Sudan.
June 2025: WFP/UNICEF convoy attacked near Al Koma, North Darfur. Five killed. 15 trucks. Supplies burned.
February 2025: Drone strike on WFP convoy in North Kordofan.
August 2025: Drone strike hit UN convoy in Darfur.
May: Only 110 of 355 pending visas approved for UN/NGO personnel.
WFP paused food distributions to Zamzam camp (February 2025).

Why Nobody Covers It

The coverage gap is documented:

NYT ran almost 10x as many articles featuring Gaza as Sudan, and 13x as many about Ukraine.
Tom Perriello (former US special envoy): "I don't think I've ever seen as big of a disconnect between the scale of a crisis and the scale of media coverage."
Sudan occupies a "liminal space" in news value calculations.
When Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023 — six months into Sudan's war — coverage dropped even further.

Why:

No strategic importance to Western nations (unlike Ukraine/Russia, Israel/Iran).
No clear "sides" that map onto Western politics.
Access nearly impossible — 90% of media infrastructure destroyed.
32 journalists killed. 400+ fled to neighboring countries.
Only 250-300 active journalists inside Sudan (was 1,500 before the war).
27 newspapers shut down. Most TV and radio stations destroyed or turned into propaganda tools.
RSF and SAF both wage sophisticated propaganda campaigns, including AI-generated disinformation.

Named journalists:

Sabah Mohammad Al-Hassan (Aljareeda columnist): Published first piece the day war erupted — "Stop! You both lose!" Fled to Egypt in an abaya after her name appeared on a wanted list.
Halima Idris Salim (Sudan Bukra): Run over by RSF vehicle while reporting on hospital conditions in Omdurman.
Yahya Hamad Fadlallah (freelance): Arrested for alleged RSF collaboration, tortured, denied medical treatment.
Muammar Ibrahim (Al Jazeera): Abducted in El Fasher by RSF, October 2025.
Isma'il Kushkush: Trapped in Khartoum apartment nine days before escaping to Egypt.

International Response (or Lack Thereof)

US imposed sanctions on individuals/entities.
EU targeted sanctions (July 2025).
ICC mandate limited to Darfur only — no independent judicial mechanisms for crimes elsewhere in Sudan.
ICC convicted Ali Kosheib (Janjaweed leader, 2003-04 crimes) in October — but this was for atrocities from 20 years ago.
UN sanctions regime renewed but not expanded.

V. THE ESSAY'S STRUCTURE (notes)

The three girls:

The girl in Minab — we know her school's name (Shajareh Tayyebeh). We have video. We have a Wikipedia article. UNESCO spoke. Malala spoke.
The girl in Dilling — we know the neighborhoods (Al-Turuq, Al-Marafid, Kajanq). We don't know her school's name. We don't have video. Nobody spoke.
The girl in Gaza — the crossings closed. The food ran out. The cameras turned to Tehran.

The parallel:

"The Children Were in School" ended with: "Some things, once destroyed, do not have backups."
This essay asks: some things, once ignored, do not get covered retroactively.

Key juxtaposition:

March 2, 2026: Seven neighborhoods in Dilling shelled. 460 people massacred at a hospital in El Fasher (October). 19 million children out of school.
The same day: 1,045 dead in Iran dominates every headline on earth.
One war gets a Wikipedia article within hours. Another gets a paragraph buried in a UN news brief.

The structural question:

Who decides which children are visible?
The Minab school has a name. The children in Um Baru eating animal feed do not.
The answer isn't conspiracy — it's infrastructure. Media infrastructure, diplomatic infrastructure, the infrastructure of attention.

VI. SOURCES

Sudan — Primary

Iran

Gaza

Coverage Gap

This research is for an essay, not a report. The numbers establish the scale. The names — Ibtisam's daughter, Dr. Mohamed, Ahmed carrying two girls 60km, Sabah writing "Stop!" the day the war started — make it human. The essay needs both.