Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
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Since 15 April 2023, there has been an active civil war in Sudan between two rival factions of the country's military government. The conflict involves the internationally recognized government controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and consisting of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Republican Guard; and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Hemedti, who leads the broader Janjaweed coalition. Several smaller armed groups have also taken part. Fighting began on 15 April 2023 after a power struggle within the military government that had taken power following the October 2021 coup. The conflict has caused nearly 12 million people to be forcibly displaced, both inside Sudan and across its borders, making it one of the largest displacement crises in recent history. Fighting was largely concentrated in the capital, Khartoum, where the conflict began with the Battle of Khartoum and in the Darfur region. Many civilians in Darfur have been reported dead as part of the Masalit genocide, which have been described as ethnic cleansing or genocide. Sudan has been described as facing the world's worst humanitarian crisis; nearly 25 million people are experiencing extreme hunger according to UN estimates. On 7 January 2025, the United States said it had determined that the RSF and allied militias committed genocide. Since gaining independence in 1956, Sudan has endured chronic instability marked by 20 coup attempts, prolonged military rule, two devastating civil wars and the Darfur genocide. The war erupted amid tensions over the integration of the RSF into the Sudanese Army following the 2021 coup, starting with RSF attacks on government sites in Khartoum and other cities. The capital region was soon divided between the two factions and al-Burhan relocated his government to Port Sudan. International efforts, including the May 2023 Jeddah Declaration, failed to stop the fighting, while various rebel groups entered the war: the SPLM–North (al-Hilu faction) 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 the Justice and Equality Movement. By late 2023, the RSF controlled most of Darfur and advanced in Khartoum, taking over most of the capital, Kordofan and Gezira. The SAF regained momentum in early 2024, making gains in Omdurman and eventually retaking Khartoum, including the Presidential Palace and airport, by March 2025. Despite renewed 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. Famine has become widespread. By August 2025, Sudan faced one of the world's worst hunger crises, with about 25 million people suffering from severe food insecurity. Nearly four million children were acutely malnourished, including more than 770 000 at imminent risk of death and famine had been confirmed in several regions. The overall death toll of the war, including fatalities from violence, starvation and disease, is even higher; thousands more remain missing or have been killed in targeted massacres, primarily attributed to the RSF and allied militias. At least 61,000 people have died in Khartoum State alone, of which 26,000 were a direct result of the violence. As of 5 February 2025, over 8.8 million were internally displaced and more than 3.5 million others had fled the country as refugees. Sexual violence, committed on refugees and during looting, has been widespread. Foreign involvement in Sudan's conflict has included arms shipments from various countries, most notably by the United Arab Emirates. The war has triggered a massive humanitarian crisis marked by extreme shortages of food, 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 over half the population in urgent need of assistance. There have been calls for more aid, legal protections for humanitarian workers, refugee support and an end to arms supplies to the RSF, particularly by the UAE. The UAE continues to deny support through supplying weapons to the rebel group, despite mounting evidence. In response to the conflict, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union imposed sanctions on individuals, companies and entities linked to the SAF and RSF for ceasefire violations, human rights abuses, and destabilizing activities. The UAE has been found to have violated the sanctions, shipping Chinese weapons to RSF rebels.