Sudanese civil war (2023–present)

• 1. Origins Of The Conflict

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  On the 15th of April 2023, the Rapid Support Forces attacked Sudanese Armed Forces bases across Khartoum and its airport. This marked the start of a civil war between two factions of the country's military government. The conflict involved the internationally recognized government controlled by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his Sudanese Armed Forces. Opposing them was the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces led by General Hemedti. Tensions had been building since the October 2021 coup that seized power from civilian leaders. The dispute centered on integrating the RSF into the regular army. The RSF insisted on a ten-year timetable for integration while the army demanded it within two years. Other contested issues included the status given to RSF officers in the future hierarchy. Whether RSF forces should be under the command of the army chief rather than Sudan's commander-in-chief also divided the two men. In February 2023, the RSF began recruiting members across Sudan. Throughout March they built up forces in the capital until a deal brokered on the 11th of March saw them withdraw. Government forces ordered them to leave again but were refused. This refusal led to clashes when RSF forces took control of the Soba military base south of Khartoum. On the 13th of April, RSF forces began their mobilization raising fears of a potential rebellion against the junta. The SAF declared this mobilization illegal.

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• 2. Battle For Khartoum

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  The next day saw a SAF counteroffensive with the Sudanese Army retaking Merowe Airport alongside the headquarters of Sudan TV and state radio. The Sudan Civil Aviation Authority closed the country's airspace as fighting began. Telecommunications provider MTN shut down Internet services by the 23rd of April creating a near-total outage attributed to attacks on the electricity grid. Hemedti directed his forces to capture or kill al-Burhan while RSF units engaged in pitched combat with the Republican Guard. Ultimately al-Burhan managed to evade capture but his base at the Sudanese Armed Forces Headquarters was placed under siege rendering him unable to leave Khartoum. Following the first few days of war the SAF brought in reinforcements from the Ethiopian border. Although a ceasefire was announced for Eid al-Fitr fighting continued across the country. Combat was described as particularly intense along the highway from Khartoum to Port Sudan and in the industrial zone of al-Bagair. By the beginning of May the SAF claimed to have weakened the RSF's combat capabilities and repelled its advances in multiple regions. On the 19th of May, al-Burhan officially removed Hemedti as his deputy replacing him with former rebel leader Malik Agar. With al-Burhan trapped in Khartoum, Agar became de facto leader assuming responsibility for peace negotiations and international visits. On the 24th of August an SAF operation successfully rescued al-Burhan from his besieged base allowing him to head to Port Sudan and hold a cabinet meeting there.

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• 3. Darfur Genocide And Massacres

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  In Darfur, fighting and bloodshed were particularly fierce around the city of Geneina where hundreds died and extensive destruction occurred. RSF forces engaged in frequent acts of violence against the Masalit population leading to accusations of ethnic cleansing. A United Nations investigation discovered numerous mass graves containing Masalit civilians. The governor of West Darfur, Khamis Abakar, was abducted and killed by armed men in June hours after accusing the RSF of genocide. In October 2025 the city of El Fasher fell giving the RSF control over the SAF's last stronghold in Darfur. Additionally, a genocidal massacre is currently taking place within the city beginning on October 26th with 60,000 dead. Analysis of satellite imagery suggested that the RSF disposed of tens of thousands of bodies through burial and incineration to cover up mass killings. As of December 2025, some estimates place the total deaths from the El Fasher massacre between 60,000 and 68,000+. On the 13th of April, the RSF claimed control of Zamzam camp after intense fighting that left over 200 civilians dead including children and aid workers. Rights groups documented widespread abuses by RSF fighters including targeted killings and sexual violence.

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• 4. Humanitarian Catastrophe

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  The conflict has caused 12 million people to be forcibly displaced, 9 million internally and 3.5 million have fled the country as refugees making it one of the largest displacement crises in recent history. Sudan faces one of the world's worst humanitarian crises with 25 million people suffering from severe food insecurity. Four million children are acutely malnourished including 770,000 at imminent risk of death and famine had been confirmed in several regions. There are extreme shortages of water, medicine and aid access alongside widespread hospital closures and disease outbreaks. Mass displacement looting of humanitarian supplies and the near-collapse of education and infrastructure leave half the population in urgent need of assistance. The death toll of the war including fatalities from violence starvation and disease is high; thousands remain missing or have been killed in targeted massacres primarily attributed to the RSF and allied militias. Sixty-one thousand people have died in Khartoum State alone of which 26,000 were a direct result of the violence. Sexual violence committed on refugees and during looting has been widespread. UN under-secretary for humanitarian affairs Tom Fletcher has said that Darfur is the new epicenter of human suffering in the world due to the conflict.

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• 5. Foreign Intervention And Arms Trade

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  In June 2024, a briefing by Amnesty International stated that the constant flow of foreign weapons is fueling the war and breaching the Darfur arms embargo. The organization found that recently manufactured or transferred weapons and ammunition were being imported in large quantities into Sudan from China Russia Turkey Yemen the UAE and Serbia. Both warring sides were using Chinese-manufactured advanced drone jammers mortars and anti-material rifles. The RSF were also reported to be using recently manufactured armoured personnel carriers from the UAE. In October 2025, the SAF recovered boxes of arms ammunitions and medicines supplied by the United Arab Emirates from an area previously held by the RSF in southeast Sudan. The RSF primarily funds its operations through gold exports to supporting countries including the UAE Kenya and Ethiopia. In 2025 after declaring their support for the RSF Ethiopia and Kenya published quarterly gold production figures that were double those of the previous year. The US UK EU and Canada imposed sanctions on individuals companies and entities linked to the SAF and RSF for ceasefire violations and human rights abuses. The UAE has been found to have violated the sanctions despite denials shipping Chinese weapons to RSF rebels.

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• 6. Military Campaigns And Territorial Shifts

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  By late 2023, the RSF controlled most of Darfur and advanced on Khartoum taking over most of the capital Kordofan and Gezira. The SAF regained momentum in 2024 making gains in Omdurman and retaking Khartoum by March 2025. On the 11th of January, the SAF retook Wad Madani the capital of Gezira State. On the 8th of February 2025, the SAF regained control of nearly all of Khartoum North as it intensified its offensive preparing to retake the capital itself. On the 20th of March, the SAF announced it was within 500 metres of the Presidential Palace and captured it on the next day. On the 26th of March they retook Khartoum International Airport and Jebel Aulia regarded as the RSF's last stronghold in the capital with al-Burhan proclaiming the liberation of Khartoum later that day. On the 20th of May, the SAF announced the clearing of Khartoum State from the RSF. In October 2025, the RSF took complete control of the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division the main base of the SAF in El Fasher confirming RSF control over the city.

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• 7. Diplomatic Failures And Peace Efforts

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  International efforts including the 2023 Jeddah Declaration failed to stop the fighting while various rebel groups entered the war. The SPLM, North attacked the SAF in the south; the Tamazuj movement joined the RSF; and the SAF gained support from factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement and Justice and Equality Movement. Attempts by other nations and international organisations to negotiate peace had largely been dormant since the failure of the Treaty of Jeddah but in late October the RSF and SAF met once more in Jeddah to attempt to negotiate peace. This new round of talks was a failure with neither side willing to commit to a ceasefire. Instead the warring factions agreed to open channels for humanitarian aid. On the 3rd of December negotiations were indefinitely suspended due to the failure of both the SAF and the RSF to open up aid channels. By September 2025, the United States together with Saudi Arabia Egypt and the UAE presented a formal peace plan proposing a three-month humanitarian truce followed by a permanent ceasefire and a nine-month political transition to civilian-led governance. However implementation remained uncertain as the SAF voiced strong reservations demanding that the RSF withdraw from civilian areas before any truce could take effect.

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