ISSN 2360-7998
Abstract
The study examines how international media represent the conflicts in Sudan and Mali and the implications of these representations for global perceptions, humanitarian interventions, and foreign policy responses. Employing a qualitative research design, the study relies exclusively on secondary documentary sources, including international newspaper reports, news agency publications, humanitarian organisation reports, and peer-reviewed scholarly literature. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) serves as the principal analytical framework, complemented by framing theory, agenda-setting theory, and postcolonial theory to explore the ideological assumptions, narrative structures, and power relations embedded in international conflict reporting. The findings reveal that international media employ distinct framing strategies in representing the two conflicts. The Sudan crisis is predominantly framed through humanitarian narratives that emphasise civilian suffering, displacement, famine, and the urgent need for international assistance, whereas the Mali crisis is largely portrayed through security and counterterrorism discourses centred on violent extremism, regional instability, and geopolitical interests. Although both conflicts are recognised as major humanitarian emergencies, the differing media frames shape international public opinion, humanitarian priorities, diplomatic engagement, and foreign policy responses in various ways. The study further demonstrates that international media are not neutral conveyors of information but active participants in constructing global understandings of conflict through selective representation, linguistic choices, and ideological framing. It concludes that more balanced, context-sensitive, and inclusive conflict reporting is essential to promote equitable humanitarian responses, enhance public understanding of African conflicts, and support informed international policymaking.
Keywords: critical discourse analysis, international media, humanitarian communication, media framing, Sudan, Mali, humanitarian intervention, foreign policy, conflict reporting, and postcolonial theory.