Sudanese Plane Crashes Outside Capital

On Monday, a Sudanese plane crashed outside of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. It had been heading to Darfur, the war-torn western region of the country, when it experienced mechanical problems (read: two engines stopped working). The plane crashed, killing 15. Nine people were supposedly pulled from the wreckage alive.

The most interesting part of the this story ties to the many plane crashes that Sudan has seen in recent years. The cause? Bad upkeep, surely, but articles on this crash in particular blamed, guess who? America. Sudanese authorities say the US's sanctions against Khartoum make it hard to get extra parts. These sanctions have been in place since Clinton, and are attempting to stop Sudan's "continued support for international terrorism, ongoing efforts to destabilize neighboring governments, and the prevalence of human rights violations, including slavery and the denial of religious freedom."

However, further research shows that this particular plane was a Russian-made one, and thus not subject to sanctions. Thanks for blaming America for everything, Sudan.

Random Kate Thoughts: Plane crashes happen in Africa way more than they should. The factories, supplies, personnel, and systems are just not here like they should be to keep flights safe. The US's economic sanctions, while well-intentioned, do tend to hurt the common man and not the government. The idea of course is the "common man" will rise up and demand changes from the government. But if you know anything about Darfur in the past decade, you'll know that the common man of Sudan has a lot more to worry about than some economic sanctions. Their new neighbors to the south, for instance.