What’s Really Happening in Sudan? An Explainer

Sudan has been caught in one of the world’s deadliest wars for more than two years — but despite the massive human toll, the crisis has struggled to hold global attention.

For many young people scrolling through their feeds, the question remains: what’s really going on in Sudan, and why should we care?

A Power Struggle That Tore the Nation Apart

The current conflict erupted in April 2023, when tensions between two rival military groups — the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemedti”— exploded into full-blown war.

The SAF is the country’s official army, while the RSF grew out of a paramilitary group that once fought rebels in Darfur.

Their leaders, both former allies in a 2021 military coup, turned against each other in a deadly contest for control of the country.

What began as gunfire in Khartoum, the capital, quickly spread to almost every region of Sudan.

The Humanitarian Nightmare

The numbers are staggering. According to the United Nations and Reuters, more than 25 million people in Sudan are now facing severe food shortages.

The World Health Organization reports outbreaks of cholera, malaria, and measles, as hospitals collapse and water systems break down.

Children have been hit hardest. UNICEF warns that thousands are dying from starvation in overcrowded displacement camps.

Millions more have fled their homes — some seeking refuge within Sudan, others crossing into neighbouring countries like Chad and South Sudan.

This is now the world’s largest displacement crisis, and aid workers say it could soon become one of the worst famines in modern history.

Who Controls What?

Sudan is now effectively divided.

• The SAF controls much of central and eastern Sudan, including parts of Khartoum and the Red Sea city of Port Sudan.

• The RSF holds large parts of western and southern regions, including Darfur and Kordofan.

The city of El Fasher in North Darfur has become one of the war’s deadliest battlegrounds, with reports of massacres and sieges leaving civilians trapped without food or medicine.

War Crimes and Weapons

Both sides have been accused of war crimes, including attacks on civilians, sexual violence, and the destruction of hospitals.

Rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented indiscriminate bombings and executions in RSF-controlled areas.

Advanced weapons — including drones and missiles — are fuelling the violence. According to The Washington Post, the RSF has gained access to foreign-made drones, intensifying the conflict and making peace even more distant.