Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war since April 2023, when a struggle for power broke out between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group. The conflict has led to a famine and claims of genocide in the western Darfur region, with over 150,000 people killed and about 12 million displaced.
The war is the latest episode in bouts of tension that followed the 2019 ousting of long-serving President Omar al-Bashir, who came to power in a coup in 1989. A joint military-civilian government was established after his ousting, but it was overthrown in another coup in October 2021, staged by the two men at the center of the current conflict: Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the armed forces, and Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, the leader of the RSF.
The RSF was formed in 2013 and has its origins in the notorious Janjaweed militia that brutally fought rebels in Darfur, where they were accused of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
The RSF has intervened in conflicts in Yemen and Libya and controls some of Sudan’s gold mines, with allegations of smuggling gold to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The army accuses the UAE of backing the RSF, which the UAE denies.
The conflict has resulted in a humanitarian crisis, with the UN describing it as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Many Darfuris believe the RSF and allied militias have waged a war aimed at transforming the ethnically mixed region into an Arab-ruled domain. In March 2024, the UN children’s agency, Unicef, reported harrowing accounts of armed men raping and sexually assaulting children as young as one.
The US has determined that the RSF and allied militias have committed genocide in Darfur. “The RSF and allied militias have systematically murdered men and boys – even infants – on an ethnic basis, and deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence,” then-Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said. This led to the US imposing sanctions on Gen Dagalo, followed by similar measures against Gen Burhan.
There have been several rounds of peace talks in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, but they have failed to yield a lasting ceasefire. The International Crisis Group think-tank has called diplomatic efforts to end the war “lackluster,” while Amnesty International has labeled the world’s response “woefully inadequate.”
Humanitarian work has also been badly affected by the decision of the Trump administration to cut aid, with over 1,100 emergency food kitchens forced to shut.
The conflict has caused widespread destruction, with government ministries, banks, and towering office blocks standing blackened and burned. Hospitals and clinics have also been destroyed, hit by air strikes and artillery fire, sometimes with patients still inside. The situation remains dire, with many calling for increased international attention and action to address the crisis.