A large humanitarian crisis is looming in Sudan—a consequence of the continuous fighting among its different regions and factions. While there has been much attention directed towards the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict as well as the relations between Ukraine and Russia and what that means for NATO, Sudan has been facing its own share of warfare recently.
A civil war between the two factions, consisting of the Sudanese Armed Forces (led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan) and the Rapid Support Forces (led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo), has been contributing towards the long-term destruction of Sudan and its people. The two groups were allies in 2019, but that agreement was broken and has sparked conflict and anger among the people. In the Darfur genocide, Rapid Support Forces are reported to have killed as many as 300,000 non-Arabs [2], and have also sexually assaulted women in this ethnic cleansing [1,3].
Originally, this genocide occurred due to the fighting among the two groups, which was temporarily halted by the ousting of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. However, it has continued as of late, mostly due to the increase in the central government’s power. The Sudanese government, through the use of Janjaweed forces, which are militia groups composed entirely of Arabs, has further displaced many people and refugees, a vast majority of them being women seeking refuge. Nevertheless, the Rapid Support Forces continue to deny many of the claims regarding their contribution to the genocide, as they report on their official X account that it was “orchestrated by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its extremist allies linked to the former regime” [4].
The extent of the destruction caused by this genocide is severe. UN Officials report it to be the cause of “one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history” [5]. Along with millions of people getting displaced, many Sudanese are facing extreme starvation due to the lack of foreign humanitarian assistance and necessary funds to recover their lands. Many children are deprived of education, further encouraging many families and individuals to migrate to neighboring countries. As a result of this conflict, several countries have attempted to interfere, with ulterior political motives in mind. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have used the opportunity to drive back Islamic influence, forming a union with the U.S. and Britain, with their mission being the mediation of the internal conflict involving the Sudanese.
While the genocide may be over, its aftermath and the Sudanese civil war are not. As Sudan continues to face many more conflicts, both external and internal, it faces crises one after another. Only time will tell whether a day will come that the Sudanese can be freed from the consequences of the continuous violence that is happening within their borders.
Sources
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65297714
[3] https://youtu.be/xY1jE7CRsP0?feature=shared
[4] https://twitter.com/RSFSudan/status/1724047896788525251