Sudan's civil war erupted on April 15, 2023, when fighting broke out in Khartoum between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by rival generals Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as 'Hemedti.' The conflict has since killed an estimated 150,000 people, displaced over 10 million, and triggered the world's largest displacement crisis as of 2024. What began as a power struggle between two former allies has shattered a country already weakened by decades of authoritarian rule and economic collapse.
What Caused the Sudan Civil War?
The roots of the conflict lie in Sudan's failed democratic transition following the 2019 ouster of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled since 1989. A fragile power-sharing agreement between civilian leaders and the military collapsed in October 2021, when al-Burhan and Hemedti jointly staged a coup. Their alliance fractured over one central issue: the planned integration of the RSF — a 100,000-strong force with its own economic empire built on gold mining and mercenary contracts across Africa — into the regular army. Hemedti refused to surrender his autonomous force and its lucrative assets. Negotiations brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States failed in April 2023, and fighting began within days of a final deadline collapsing.
How Has the Conflict Unfolded Since 2023?
The RSF rapidly seized large parts of Khartoum and Omdurman in the war's opening weeks, turning the capital into a battlefield. By late 2023, the RSF had taken control of most of Darfur, where its fighters were accused of ethnically targeted massacres, particularly against the Masalit people in El Fasher and Geneina — atrocities the UN described as potential genocide. The SAF, relying on air strikes, has struggled to retake urban areas. In 2024, the SAF launched counteroffensives and recaptured parts of Khartoum, but no decisive military outcome has emerged. Entire cities, including Omdurman and Nyala, have been devastated, hospitals destroyed, and famine declared in at least five regions, the first famine confirmed anywhere in the world in years.
| Factor | SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) | RSF (Rapid Support Forces) |
|---|---|---|
| Leader | Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan | Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) |
| Origin | National army | Grew from Janjaweed militias, formalized 2013 |
| Estimated strength | 100,000–200,000 | ~100,000 |
| Key support | Egypt, Iran (drones) | UAE (alleged), Wagner Group (historical) |
| Territorial control (2024) | North, east, parts of Khartoum | Darfur, parts of Khartoum, Kordofan |
What Is the Humanitarian Cost of the Sudan Crisis?
The UN has called Sudan the world's largest humanitarian crisis. Over 10 million people have been internally displaced, with another 2 million fleeing to neighbouring Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan. The World Food Programme estimates that 25 million people — more than half Sudan's population — face acute food insecurity. Health infrastructure has almost entirely collapsed in conflict zones: in Darfur, fewer than 20% of hospitals remain operational. Sexual violence has been used as a systematic weapon of war, with thousands of documented cases. International aid access remains critically blocked, with warring parties repeatedly obstructing relief convoys.
