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Sudanese civil war (2023–present)

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War in Sudan
Part of the Sudanese Civil Wars

Military situation as of 13 May 2026
  Controlled by Sudanese Armed Forces and allies
  Controlled by Rapid Support Forces
  Controlled by SPLM-N (al-Hilu)
(Detailed map)
Date15 April 2023 – present (2023-04-15 – present)
(3 years, 4 weeks and 1 day)
Location
Sudan
Status Ongoing
Participants

Sudanese Armed Forces SLM/A - Tambour (since August 2023)[1]
JEM (since November 2023)[2]
SLM/A - Minni Minnawi (since November 2023)[3]

Support from other countries:
 Egypt[4][5]
 Iran[6]
 Saudi Arabia[6]
 Turkey[6]
 Ukraine[7]

Rapid Support Forces

Support from other Countries:
 United Arab Emirates[8]
 Chad[9][8]
Support from groups that are not countries
Libyan National Army[10]
Wagner Group[11][12]
Commanders and leaders

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
Yasser al-Atta
Shams al-Din Khabbashi
Malik Agar
Mustafa Tambour
Minni Minnawi

Gibril Ibrahim[13]		 Hemedti
Abdelrahim Dagalo
Abdel Rahman Jumma
Strength
110,000–120,000[14]
Unknown		 70,000–150,000[14]
Unknown

A civil war began on 15 April 2023 between two major factions of the Sudanese Military. The war is between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who leads the Sudanese government on one side the rebel paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (commonly known as Hemedti), who also leads the broader Janjaweed militia and is supported by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the other side. Several smaller rebel groups have also taken part. Fighting has been concentrated in the capital, Khartoum, where the war began with big battles, and in the Darfur region.[15][16][17] Many civilians in Darfur have been killed by the Rapid Support Forces as part of the Masalit Genocide.[18] Sudan has been described as facing the world's worst humanitarian crisis; nearly 25 million people are experiencing extreme hunger.[19] On 7 January 2025, the United States said it had determined that the RSF its allies were commiting genocide.[20]

Background

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The history of conflicts in Sudan has consisted of foreign invasions and resistance, ethnic tensions, religious disputes, and competition over resources.[21][22] In its modern history, two civil wars between the central government and the southern regions led to the deaths of 1.5 million, and a continuing conflict in the western region of Darfur has displaced two million people and killed more than 200,000 people. Since independence in 1956, Sudan has had more than fifteen military coups[23] and it has also been ruled by the military for the majority of the republic's existence, with only brief periods of democratic civilian rule.[24]

Political context

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Former president Omar al-Bashir presided over the War in Darfur, a region in the west of the country, and oversaw violence sponsored by the state in the region of Darfur, leading to charges of war crimes and genocide.[25] Around 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million people were forced to be removed because of the conflict. The intensity of the violence later declined.[26]

Timeline

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April

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On 15 April, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked multiple bases used by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) but it is very weak to every bases including bases in the capital of Khartoum like Khartoum International Airport.[27] The clashes around the state broadcaster from Sudan TV, which luckily wasn't captured by RSF forces. Bridges and roads in Khartoum were closed with the RSF claiming that all roads south of Khartoum were closed.[28] On 16 April, the SAF announced the arrests of multiple RSF officers, the rescue of the major general and brigadier and the capture of Merowe Airport.The Sudan Civil Aviation Authority closed the countries airspace.[29] The provider MTN also shut down internet services but unsuccess.[30] Clashes started again on 17 April in China, Omdurman and Merowe Airport.[31] The SAF claimed control of the Sudan TV headquarters in Khartoum,[32] and the RSF released a video on twitter.[31] On 20 of May, the RSF and SAF release a youtube video of killing each other with 10 miniguns.

Fighting continued in Khartoum between the SAF and RSF. The SAF accused the RSF of assaulting civilians as well as looting and burning.[33]

2025 March

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The RSF attack the SAF youtube equipment. The SAF was cut out of social media so did the RSF. On March of 4, the SAF get revenge for their youtube channel by destroying the RSF internet connection.

2026 February

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According to a United Nations report, at least 6,000 were killed from the RSF attack on el-Fasher on 14 February, 2026. [34]

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References

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  1. ↑ "SLM faction joins Sudanese army against RSF in Darfur". Sudan Tribune. 1 August 2023. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  2. ↑ "Sudan civil war: Darfur's Jem rebels join army fight against RSF". 17 November 2023. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  3. ↑ "Key Darfur groups join Sudanese army in its war against RSF paramilitary forces". 16 November 2023. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "Sudan's RSF says it's ready to cooperate over Egyptian troops". Reuters. 15 April 2023. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  5. ↑ "Sudan's paramilitary shares video they claim shows 'surrendered' Egyptian troops". al-Arabiya. 15 April 2023. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Khair, Kholood; Akam, Asmahan (7 December 2023). "Sudan's Dangerous Descent Into Warlordism". Time. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Exclusive: Ukraine's special services 'likely' behind strikes on Wagner-backed forces in Sudan, a Ukrainian military source says". CNN. 2023-09-19. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  8. 1 2 Walsh, Declan; Koettl, Christoph; Schmitt, Eric (29 September 2023). "Talking Peace in Sudan, the U.A.E. Secretly Fuels the Fight". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  9. ↑ "Key Darfur groups join Sudanese army in its war against RSF paramilitary forces". Sudan Tribune. 17 November 2023. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "Libyan Militia and Egypt's Military Back Opposite Sides in Sudan Conflict". al-Arabiya. 15 April 2023. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  11. ↑ Elbagir, Nima; Mezzofiore, Gianluca; Qiblawi, Tamara (20 April 2023). "Exclusive: Evidence emerges of Russia's Wagner arming militia leader battling Sudan's army". CNN. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023. The Russian mercenary group Wagner has been supplying Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with missiles to aid their fight against the country's army, Sudanese and regional diplomatic sources have told CNN. The sources said the surface-to-air missiles have significantly buttressed RSF paramilitary fighters and their leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo
  12. ↑ "Wagner in Sudan: What have Russian mercenaries been up to?". BBC News. 24 April 2023. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023. Its founder, Yevgeny Prighozin – who has close links to President Vladimir Putin – has said that, "Not a single Wagner PMC [private military company] fighter has been present in Sudan" for over two years. We've found no evidence that Russian mercenaries are currently inside the country. But there is evidence of Wagner's previous activities in Sudan...
  13. ↑ "Darfur movements: "We renounce our neutrality"". Sudan War Monitor. 17 November 2023. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  14. 1 2 "Sudan: Stalemates rule out one-man victory". DW. 19 April 2023. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  15. ↑ "Why Sudan's catastrophic war is the world's problem". The Economist. 29 August 2024. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  16. ↑ "100 days of conflict in Sudan: A timeline". Al Jazeera. 24 July 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  17. ↑ Steinhauser, Gabriele (12 August 2024). "War Tears Apart Sudan's Capital City". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  18. ↑ "Genocide returns to Darfur". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  19. ↑ "Sudan faces the world's worst humanitarian crisis as second anniversary of war nears, UN says". AP News. 2025-04-10. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  20. ↑ "Genocide Determination in Sudan and Imposing Accountability Measures". state.gov. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
  21. ↑ Sawant, Ankush B. (July 1998) [July 1998]. "Ethnic Conflict in Sudan in Historical Perspective". International Studies. 35 (3): 343–363. doi:10.1177/0020881798035003006. ISSN 0020-8817.
  22. ↑ Fluehr-Lobban, Carolyn (1990). "Islamization in Sudan: A Critical Assessment". Middle East Journal. 44 (4): 610–623. ISSN 0026-3141.
  23. ↑ ISSAfrica.org (2020-07-31). "Sudan, a coup laboratory". ISS Africa. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  24. ↑ "Military Rule No Longer Viable in Sudan: Analyst". VOA. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  25. ↑ Abdelaziz, Khalid; Eltahir, Nafisa; Eltahir, Nafisa (2023-04-15). "Sudan's army chief, paramilitary head ready to de-escalate tensions, mediators say". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  26. ↑ "Sudanese general's path to power ran through Darfur". AP NEWS. 2019-05-20. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  27. ↑ "Sudan: Army and RSF battle over key sites, leaving 56 civilians dead". BBC News. 2023-04-15. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  28. ↑ "السودان في ثاني أيام المعارك.. اتساع المواجهات بين الجيش والدعم السريع وفتح ممرات إنسانية لفترة وجيزة". www.aljazeera.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  29. ↑ Chris Shieff (2023-04-17). "Military Coup: Sudan Airspace Closed". International Ops 2023 - OPSGROUP. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  30. ↑ Ibrahim, Arwa. "Artillery fire heard in Sudan as three-hour ceasefire ends". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  31. 1 2 Siddiqui, Mersiha Gadzo,Usaid. "Updates: More than 180 people killed in Sudan fighting – UN envoy". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-06-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  32. ↑ "Sudan: 'I haven't slept, I'm terrified,' says Khartoum resident as fighting rages". BBC News. 2023-04-16. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  33. ↑ Adil, Arwa Ibrahim,Hafsa. "Fighting continues in Sudan's capital despite new ceasefire". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-06-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  34. ↑ Press, The Associated (2026-02-15). "At least 6,000 killed over 3 days during RSF attack on Sudan's el-Fasher, UN says". NPR. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
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