The brutal conflict tearing Sudan apart has become one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Since April 2023, the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions — plunging the nation into chaos, hunger, and disease.
How the War Began
The current conflict erupted on April 15, 2023, in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital. What began as a political power struggle between rival generals has evolved into a full-blown civil war.
On one side stands Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan’s army and the nation’s de facto ruler. Opposing him is Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — a powerful paramilitary group that originated from the Janjaweed militias of Darfur.
The RSF was created by former dictator Omar al-Bashir in the early 2000s to suppress the Darfur rebellion, which was fueled by decades of political and economic marginalization. Initially infamous for its atrocities in Darfur, the Janjaweed evolved into the RSF in 2013, gaining official recognition and military ranks.
After helping oust Bashir in 2019, both Burhan and Hemedti vied for control of the transitional government. Tensions grew as plans for a civilian-led democracy faltered — and by 2023, their uneasy alliance collapsed into open warfare.
The Human Cost of the Conflict
Sudan’s war has unleashed what the United Nations calls “one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history.”
- Casualties: Tens of thousands have been killed since fighting began.
- Displacement: Over 11.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including nearly 3 million refugees who crossed into Chad and South Sudan.
- Hunger: Around 26 million people face severe food insecurity. A famine has already been declared in parts of Darfur, especially the Zamzam displacement camp.
Healthcare and education systems have nearly collapsed. The destruction of hospitals and widespread shortages of medicine have led to outbreaks of cholera, malaria, dengue fever, measles, and rubella. According to UNICEF, 3.4 million children under five are at high risk of epidemic diseases.
Meanwhile, more than 90% of Sudan’s 19 million school-age children are unable to attend classes, as schools have been destroyed, occupied by fighters, or used to store weapons.
Atrocities and War Crimes
Both the Sudanese army and the RSF have been accused of grave human rights violations.
The United Nations and the United States allege that both sides committed war crimes, including:
- Indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas
- Sexual violence and mass assaults
- Arbitrary detentions, torture, and execution of civilians
- Recruitment of child soldiers
The worst massacres have occurred in Darfur, particularly in El Geneina, where the RSF and allied Arab militias killed up to 15,000 people, mainly from the Masalit ethnic group. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken compared the violence to the genocide of the early 2000s.
In June 2024, pro-democracy activists also accused the RSF of killing more than 100 civilians in a village attack in central Sudan.
The Current Situation
As of late 2025, the war remains far from over.
The RSF has intensified its campaign to seize El Fasher, the last major city in Darfur still under army control. The assault follows months of siege and air raids. In June, the city’s final hospital shut down after being stormed by RSF fighters.
Meanwhile, in Khartoum, airstrikes and artillery battles continue, with the army attempting to regain lost ground in the southern parts of the city.
International mediation efforts — including peace talks in Jeddah and Addis Ababa — have repeatedly failed, leaving Sudan trapped in a war of attrition.
Why Darfur Remains the Flashpoint
Darfur, home to around 9 million people, has long been the heart of Sudan’s unrest.
It remains the power base of Hemedti and the RSF, which draws many of its fighters from the region and from Hemedti’s Rizeigat tribe.
The RSF controls much of Darfur’s infrastructure — mines, airstrips, and trade routes — giving it both economic leverage and territorial dominance. Analysts say the roots of today’s violence can be traced directly to the Darfur genocide of the early 2000s, where impunity and ethnic divisions first took hold.
