The Republic of Sudan, located in Northeast Africa, is currently experiencing “the humanitarian crisis of our time,” as deemed by the World Food Program.
A dictator, Omar as-Bashir, ruled over Sudan from 1993-2019. He initially gained power after successfully leading a coup in 1989. According to Brittannica, while in power, “Bashir dissolved parliament, banned political parties, and strictly controlled the press.” Eventually, Bashir was appointed president of Sudan after the disbanding of the Revolutionary Council, where he remained in power until 2019.
Sudan continued to experience military conflict while under the rule of Bashir. The Darfur war was one of these many conflicts. Rebels from Darfur, dissatisfied with the majority Arab Government, had begun striking government installations in 2002. After the Sudan government retaliated with aerial bombardment, the rebels successfully raided the Sudan air-base, Al-Fāshir. A rebel group, Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), continued to succeed against the Sudan military post Al-Fāshir. The Sudan government responded by mobilizing and supplying militias, now referred to as Janjaweed. From 2003-2008 these militia factions targeted the Fur, Zaghawa, and Masalit peoples. Civilian settlements were bombed, and civilians were killed, mutilated, kidnapped, and egregiously assaulted. In 2004 the Janjaweed campaign was recognized as a genocide by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. The genocide and conflict in Darfur is now referred to as the Darfur War.
In 2013, Omar al-Bashir enlisted a Janjaweed faction which then became recognized as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). As tensions increased in Sudan towards the dictatorship of Bashir, he hired the RSF for protection. However, in 2019, the RSF, now a powerful paramilitary group, and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) joined together to overthrow Bashir. After a successful coup, Abdalla Hamdok was chosen as Prime Minister and made attempts towards rectifying the troubled state of Sudan. However, in 2021, both the RSF and SAF staged another coup to overthrow Hamdok and bar the new constitution. Hamdok was reinstated with terms to his ruling but resigned within months due to protesters and their dissatisfaction.
After Hamdok’s resignation, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leader of the SAF, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, leader of the RSF, have held control over the Sudan government. Tension between the leaders increased as power struggles and attempts for equality in leadership began. On April 15, 2023, explosions and gunfire erupted in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Both military groups denied firing first. This began the civil war that continues to take place in Sudan almost three years later.
As violence, territory struggles, and fighting between the SAF and RSF continue in 2025, conditions, similar to those in the Darfur war, are perpetrated. The RSF has been accused of genocide after recent reports of mass killings and sexual violence towards ethnic groups in Darfur, very similar to the actions of is predecessing group, the Janjaweed. Most recently, El Fasher was captured by the RSF and held under siege for 18 months in which no aid supplies were able to be received. South Kordofan is now under attack from the RSF where a kindergarten was recently hit by a paramilitary drone attack, resulting in 55 fatalities. Human rights workers are increasingly concerned that the atrocities seen in El Fasher are repeating themselves in South Kordofan.
Certain news outlets have visually identified this violence in the form of satellite images. According to the Global Conflict Tracker, “satellite imagery has detected closely packed objects and ground discoloration, which researchers believe to be evidence of human bodies.”
Sudan civilians continue to suffer the violence of these military groups while famine rattles the country. Sieges, blockades, and aid shortages make it difficult to relieve the country of its humanitarian crisis while families continue to be displaced and towns wiped out. More than 150,000 fatalities have occurred, and 21.2 million people face food insecurity while Sudan struggles for life.
Sources:
Ray, Michael . “Janjaweed | Sudanese Militia | Britannica.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/Janjaweed.
Ingham, Kenneth. “Omar Al-Bashir | Biography & Facts.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Omar-Hassan-Ahmad-al-Bashir.
Center for Preventive Action. “Civil War in Sudan.” Global Conflict Tracker, Council on Foreign Relations, 15 Apr. 2025, www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/power-struggle-sudan.
Clayton, Freddie. “Sudan’s Bloody Civil War Is Worsening a Major Humanitarian Crisis.” NBC News, 7 Dec. 2025, www.nbcnews.com/world/africa/sudans-bloody-civil-war-worsening-major-humanitarian-crisis-rcna247815.
Press, The Associated. “Sudanese Paramilitary Drone Attack Kills 50, Including 33 Children in Kordofan, Doctor Group Says.” NBC News, 6 Dec. 2025, www.nbcnews.com/world/africa/sudanese-paramilitary-drone-attack-children-kordofan-rcna247723. Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.
Booty, Natasha, and Farouk Chothia. “Sudan War: A Simple Guide to What Is Happening.” BBC, 25 Oct. 2021, www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjel2nn22z9o.
Al Jazeera. “Sudan Unrest: What Are the Rapid Support Forces?” Www.aljazeera.com, 16 Apr. 2023, www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/16/sudan-unrest-what-is-the-rapid-support-forces.
Copnall, James. “Sudan Crisis: Burhan and Hemedti - the Two Generals at the Heart of the Conflict.” BBC News, 17 Apr. 2023, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65297714.
Maddie Speights