Sudanese civil war (2023–present)

Since April 2023, there has been a civil war in Sudan between two primary factions of the country's military government. The conflict involves the internationally recognized government of Sudan, controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the rival Government of Peace and Unity, led by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, commanded by General Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo. Smaller armed groups have also taken part on both sides, most notably splinter groups from the Sudan Liberation Movement, the Tamazuj militia and the Darfur Joint Protection Force. Fighting began on 15 April 2023 following a power struggle within the transitional administration established after the 2021 coup. As of 5 February 2025, the conflict has forcibly displaced 12 million people, with 3 million fleeing the country as refugees, making it one of the largest displacement crises in recent history. The conflict has also seen heavy influence from foreign powers, especially Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, while also experiencing effects from the spillover of neighboring conflicts in the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad and Libya. The current war erupted amid tensions regarding the integration of the RSF into the Sudanese Army following the 2021 coup. Initial RSF attacks targeted government sites in the capital, Khartoum, and other cities. The conflict began with the Battle of Khartoum, Fighting then spread to the Darfur region. The capital region was divided between the two factions, and al-Burhan relocated his government to Port Sudan. International efforts, including the 2023 Jeddah Declaration, failed to stop the fighting, while various rebel groups entered the war: the SPLM–North attacked the SAF in the south; the Tamazuj movement joined the RSF; and the SAF gained support from factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement and Justice and Equality Movement. By late 2023, the RSF controlled most of Darfur and advanced on Khartoum, taking over most of the capital, Kordofan and Gezira. The SAF regained momentum in 2024, making gains in Omdurman and retaking Khartoum by March 2025. Despite negotiations, no lasting ceasefire has been reached, and the war continues with severe humanitarian consequences and regional implications. In October 2025 the city of El Fasher fell, giving the RSF control over the SAF's last stronghold in Darfur. During and after its capture, the city and neighboring villages were the target of what some experts called a genocidal massacre. Beginning on 26 October, these attacks led to estimated number of between 60,000 and 70,000 dead. Using satellite information, other estimates have been as high as 150,000 dead, making this the most lethal massacre in the 21st century. A UN investigator later told DW that the atrocities bear the hallmarks of genocide. Sudan faces one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, with widespread famine and 25 million people suffering from severe food insecurity. Four million children are acutely malnourished, including 770,000 at imminent risk of death and famine has been confirmed in several regions. The country faces extreme shortages of water, medicine and aid access, widespread hospital closures, disease outbreaks, mass displacement, looting of humanitarian supplies, and the near-collapse of education and infrastructure, leaving half the population in urgent need of assistance. The total death toll of the war comprises fatalities from violence, starvation and disease; thousands remain missing or were killed in targeted massacres primarily attributed to the RSF and allied militias. 61,000 people have died in Khartoum State alone, of whom 26,000 were direct victims of violence. Sexual violence has been widespread. UN Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher described Darfur as the "epicenter of human suffering in the world". There have been calls for more aid, legal protections for humanitarian workers, refugee support and an end to international arms supplies to the RSF, particularly from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The U ., UK, EU and Canada imposed sanctions on entities linked to both factions for ceasefire violations and human rights abuses. Despite denials, the UAE has been found to have violated these sanctions by shipping Chinese weaponry to the RSF, which largely funds its operations through gold exports to the UAE. Many civilians in Darfur have been killed as part of the Masalit genocide. On 7 January 2025, the U . formally determined that the RSF and its allied militias committed acts of genocide.