There’s a war that’s killing tens of thousands, but it’s not getting the attention it deserves. The reasons why are as complex as the conflict itself

Remember when we said that Black Lives Matter? We didn’t mean it. That much is clear now, as the world watches a war that is killing tens of thousands, that has displaced more than 10 million and which is threatening to devour 13 million more through famine – and barely gives it a glance. Most of those are Black lives and it could not be more obvious that, to an indifferent world, they don’t matter at all.

Don’t be too hard on yourself if you haven’t yet guessed which conflict, and project of ethnic cleansing, I’m speaking of. With a few honourable exceptions, it’s barely covered on TV, on the radio or in the papers. Most politicians never mention it. There are no mass demonstrations on the streets, no hashtags on social media. Instead, the war in Sudan is out of sight and out of mind – for reasons that say a little about Africa and much more about everyone else.

Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist