Influence of Foreign Media Bias in Shaping Perceptions of the Sudan Armed Forces- Rapid Support Forces Conflict in Khartoum, Sudan

Abstract

Intra-state conflicts in Africa in the post-Cold War period have been complex with far reaching consequences. The civil conflicts have at the same time influenced and shaped global and regional dynamics. In April 2019 the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) jointly overthrew the regime of Sudan President Omar al-Bashir. In January 2023 a power struggle ensued over control of the Sudan State between the SAF and the RSF leading to a military confrontation.The foreign media was at the forefront in reporting the civil conflict to the international audience. Foreign media reporting is a powerful agent in shaping conflict perceptions through framing, agenda-setting and the dissemination of information. This study examined the influence of foreign media bias in shaping perceptions of the SAF-RSF conflict in Khartoum, Sudan. Two theories namely; framing and agenda setting theories informed this study. The framing theory explained how foreign media framed the SAF-RSF conflict, how these frames were received and the influence in shaping perceptions of the conflict. The Agenda-setting theory on the other hand offered a valuable framework for analyzing media influence on the perception of the SAF-RSF conflict. This study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. The study target population consisted of individuals who were exposed to foreign media reporting and had the potential to form perceptions about African conflicts. The research targeted the general population or residents residing within four cities in Kenya (Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Nakuru). Using the Cochran formula, the total sample size was 384 respondents. The study also targeted international media houses located in or operating from Kenya. Primary data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs). Secondary data was gathered from a range of sources including scholarly articles, books, reports, and online resources. The data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics to outline and interpret the main features. The findings revealed that framing and agenda-setting and bias in foreign media reporting significantly influenced and shaped perceptions of the conflict between the SAF and RSF.