Sudan Conflict 2023–2025

Background and Origins of the Conflict

• In April 2023, Sudan plunged into civil war due to a power struggle between two military factions:
  • General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
  • Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
• This followed years of political instability:
  • 2019: Popular uprising ousted long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir.
  • 2019–2021: Power-sharing between military and civilian leaders raised hopes for democratic transition.
  • October 2021: Gen. Burhan and Dagalo staged a coup, dissolving the transitional government.
  • Their alliance fractured, triggering full-scale conflict in 2023.

Devastating Humanitarian Impact

• Death toll: Over 150,000 people killed since the conflict began.
• Displacement crisis: Nearly 13 million displaced, the largest internal displacement globally.
• Urban warfare: Major cities, especially Khartoum, transformed into battlefields.
• Famine: Sudan now faces the world’s first officially declared famine in four years.
• Systemic collapse: Education, healthcare, water access, and food systems have nearly disintegrated.

Shifting Military Control

• Army (SAF):
  • Regained momentum after early setbacks.
  • Recently recaptured Khartoum and controls northern and eastern Sudan, including Port Sudan.
• RSF:
  • Maintains stronghold in western Darfur.
  • Currently besieging El Fasher, a strategic army base.
  • Declared a parallel government in RSF-held areas to legitimize control.

Atrocities and War Crimes

• RSF faces documented allegations of mass atrocities, including rape of children, looting, and targeted killings.
• Army is responsible for relentless air strikes, exacerbating civilian casualties and displacement.
• Both sides have contributed to the complete breakdown of civilian life.

International Complicity and Geopolitical Stakes

• Regional and global powers have prolonged the conflict:
  • UAE allegedly supports the RSF.
  • Russia, Türkiye, Iran, and Qatar are aligned with the army.
• International apathy and geopolitical opportunism have emboldened the warlords.

Path Forward: Ceasefire and Civilian Restoration

• A military victory is unlikely—the current situation reinforces the failure of force as a solution.
• Urgent global intervention is needed:
  • Immediate ceasefire.
  • Unhindered humanitarian access to war-affected regions.
  • Support for neutral peace talks, prioritizing civilian leadership and transitional justice.
• Sudan’s future depends on international pressure and a return to a civilian-led democratic roadmap.

Sudan’s civil war is not just a regional crisis—it is a global moral failure. The world must stop ignoring the tragedy unfolding in silence. Only coordinated diplomacy, humanitarian aid, and pressure for accountability can halt the collapse and offer hope to millions caught in the crossfire.

TH