Sudan’s Civil War: A Catastrophe Ignored by the World
On April 15, 2023, during the holy month of Ramadan, Sudan plunged into a devastating civil war—one that has since spiraled into one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century. Yet, global attention remains disturbingly limited. What began as a power struggle between two rival military factions has grown into a full-scale national disaster, ravaging cities, obliterating infrastructure, and inflicting unthinkable suffering on millions of civilians.
The conflict erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group under the command of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. These two factions, once uneasy allies in Sudan’s transitional government, turned their weapons on each other in a struggle for dominance. What followed was a wave of destruction that has consumed the capital Khartoum, the Darfur region, and large swathes of the country.
As of early 2025, the numbers speak to the scale of the catastrophe: over 150,000 civilians are believed to have died, and at least 8.8 million people have been internally displaced, with 3.5 million fleeing Sudan as refugees. In Khartoum State alone, 61,000 lives have been lost, 26,000 directly from violence. Hospitals have been destroyed or shuttered, food systems disrupted, and aid workers targeted, making Sudan the most dangerous country in the world for humanitarian workers.
One of the most disturbing aspects of the war has been the resurgence of genocidal violence in Darfur. The RSF and its allied Arab militias—many drawn from the infamous Janjaweed—have been implicated in the ethnic cleansing of the Masalit people and other non-Arab groups. In Geneina, West Darfur, more than 15,000 people were reportedly killed, with mass graves discovered and entire communities obliterated. In towns like Sirba, Kutum, and Misterei, the pattern of violence was chillingly familiar: villages razed, civilians executed, women and girls raped, and food and aid looted.
The origins of this brutality trace back to the early 2000s, during the War in Darfur. Then-President Omar al-Bashir empowered the Janjaweed militias to crush rebellion in the region, leading to the deaths of over 300,000 people and the displacement of 2.7 million. In 2013, al-Bashir formalized the Janjaweed as the RSF and placed them under Hemedti’s control. Since then, the RSF has grown in power and wealth, thanks to gold mining concessions, foreign deployments, and relationships with actors like Russia’s Wagner Group.
Since the conflict reignited in 2023, both the SAF and RSF have committed atrocities. Markets and residential neighbourhoods have been bombarded with airstrikes and artillery fire. Hospitals and clinics have been deliberately targeted or looted, leaving much of Sudan’s already fragile healthcare system in ruins. Human rights defenders, journalists, and humanitarian workers have faced arrests, torture, and assassination. Even children have not been spared—many have been killed, orphaned, or forcibly displaced.
Efforts to negotiate peace have repeatedly failed. The U.S. and Saudi-brokered Jeddah talks in May 2023 collapsed without halting the bloodshed. Rebel groups have entered the fray, some aligning with the SAF, others with the RSF, turning the war into a fractured, multi-sided conflict. While the SAF made recent gains in Khartoum, including retaking the Presidential Palace and airport in March 2025, the war is far from over.
Despite the immense human suffering, international attention has been minimal. Unlike crises in Ukraine or Gaza, the war in Sudan has not dominated headlines or mobilized major donor conferences. Many Western governments have offered muted condemnation but little action. Aid has been slow, inconsistent, or blocked by the warring parties. Meanwhile, regional powers have supplied arms and political support to the factions they favor, perpetuating the conflict.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has confirmed famine conditions in North Darfur. With millions on the brink of starvation, and entire communities wiped out by war crimes, the situation demands urgent global intervention—not just charity, but sustained diplomatic pressure, humanitarian funding, and accountability for perpetrators.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) and Amnesty International have opened investigations into the atrocities, but justice remains elusive. Hemedti, whose forces have been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, has not been indicted. Civil society groups within Sudan are documenting violations, but many of their members have been silenced, imprisoned, or killed. The UN Human Rights Council has finally launched a fact-finding mission, but without international backing and enforcement, its impact may be limited.
Sudan’s modern history has been marred by military coups and civil wars. But this current conflict threatens to undo what little progress had been made since the fall of al-Bashir in 2019. Without immediate and robust international engagement, the war may drag on for years, leaving behind a broken nation and a forgotten people.
The world must not look away. Sudan’s war is not just a regional crisis—it is a global moral failure. Every day of silence enables further massacres, rapes, displacements, and starvation. What is happening in Sudan is not inevitable. It is a product of decisions made by armed leaders—and of indifference from those with the power to stop them.
Sudan is bleeding. The question is whether the world will finally care enough to act.