Sudan has fallen into a catastrophic civil war since April 2023, a brutal power struggle between its army (SAF) and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has triggered a humanitarian disaster, with claims of genocide in Darfur and around 12 million people fleeing their homes the world’s largest displacement crisis.
How the Generals Came to Blows
This war is the latest drama following the 2019 overthrow of long time dictator Omar al-Bashir. After a brief joint military civilian government, a coup in 2021 was staged by the two men now fighting: Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the SAF, and his former deputy, RSF leader Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as “Hemedti”).
They fell out dramatically over plans to integrate the 100,000 strong RSF into the national army. The real issue? Both generals wanted to keep their immense power and wealth. Shooting began in April 2023, rapidly escalating the crisis.
The Gold Fuelled War
The RSF evolved from the infamous Janjaweed militia, which was accused of atrocities in Darfur years ago. Hemedti has used this force to seize control of many of Sudan’s gold mines, allegedly smuggling the metal abroad to countries like the UAE to fund his war efforts and buy weapons. The army, meanwhile, controls the north and east, with its headquarters now in the Red Sea port of Port Sudan, and is reportedly backed by Egypt.
While the SAF regained control of the capital Khartoum in March 2025, the fighting remains intense. A major victory for the RSF came in late October with the capture of el-Fasher, the last major urban centre in Darfur held by the army, a region now almost entirely controlled by Hemedti’s forces.
💔 Genocide, Famine, and Neglect
The consequences are horrific. The conflict is marked by extreme food shortages, with over 24 million people facing acute hunger. The collapse of the economy is complete; the average annual income was already low at around £600 per person in 2022, and state revenues have now plummeted by 80%.
The ethnically targeted attacks by the RSF and allied militias, particularly against non-Arab communities like the Massalit people in Darfur, have led the US to formally determine that genocide has been committed. There are harrowing reports of sexual violence and mass killings. The RSF denies these claims, calling the conflict a “tribal matter.”
Despite this immense human cost, international efforts to stop the war have been called “lacklustre” and “woefully inadequate” by global groups. With peace talks failing, Sudan sadly remains the world’s “forgotten war.”
Related Topic: Africa
