African Conflicts And Colonialism Codexery

Sudanese civil war (2023–present)

Ongoing civil war between SAF and RSF in Sudan.

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The conflict has forcibly displaced over 14 million people and created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises.[1] A civil war in Sudan has been ongoing since April 2023, pitting the Sudanese Armed Forces against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.[2]

Life and work

The war erupted from a power struggle within the transitional administration established after the 2021 coup.[1][3] Al-Burhan later escaped and relocated his government to Port Sudan.[4][3] The RSF captured Nyala, Sudan's fourth-largest city, in October 2023.[5] In December 2023, the RSF seized Wad Madani, opening large parts of the country to further offensives.[6][7]

Countries involved in the Sudanese Civil War
Countries involved in the Sudanese Civil War. Image: Brown caterpillar12 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

The city of El Fasher fell to the RSF in October 2025, with some experts calling the ensuing massacre genocidal.[8] The SAF also lifted the siege of El Obeid in February 2025.[9]

What the cited sources add

The Middle East Eye timeline notes that protests began in December 2018 against rising bread prices and corruption.[10] The same source states that armed men linked to the RSF killed at least 128 people in the June 2019 Khartoum massacre.[10] The Guardian reports that Hemedti derived huge wealth from gold exports from illegal mines.[11] The Sudan War Monitor explains that the RSF was formed from ethnic militias known as the Janjaweed.[12]

The same source notes that al-Burhan partly ceded control to civilian-nominated representatives in August 2019.[12] The Sudan War Monitor's account of the fall of Wad Madani states that the army put up little resistance in the city itself.[13] The same source reports that the SAF's defeat at Wad Madani represented a major loss of men and materiel.[13]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Sudanese civil war (2023–present)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Crisis in Sudan: What is happening and how to help", International Rescue Committee, 6 July 2026; "UN: Sudan now faces world's largest displacement crisis", Middle East Monitor, 10 November 2025; "Sudan Conflict", UN News, 2024-09-16; Julien-Thomas, "Sudan has now become the 'epicentre of human suffering'", Le Monde diplomatique, 1 January 2026; "Rapid Support Forces launch fresh attack on El Fasher, sparking displacement", Sudan Tribune, 31 October 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Sudanese civil war (2023–present)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sudan war: A simple guide to what is happening", BBC News, 10 November 2025 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Sudanese civil war (2023–present)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Why Sudan's catastrophic war is the world's problem", The Economist, 29 August 2024; "100 days of conflict in Sudan: A timeline", Al Jazeera, 24 July 2023; Steinhauser, "War Tears Apart Sudan's Capital City", The Wall Street Journal, 12 August 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Sudanese civil war (2023–present)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sudan's Al-Burhan heads first cabinet meeting since conflict erupted", africanews, 29 August 2023; "Al-Burhan inspects Sudanese troops in Omdurman following repelled RSF attack", Sudan Tribune, 24 August 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Sudanese civil war (2023–present)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Rapid Support Forces seize Sudanese army base in Central Darfur", Sudan Tribune, 31 October 2023; "Fall of the 16th Division headquarters in Nyala", Sudan War Monitor, 26 October 2023; "Sudanese army forced to withdraw from Nyala due to supply shortage: military", Sudan Tribune, 29 October 2023; McGregor, "Assessing the War in Sudan: Is an RSF Victory in Sight?", Jamestown Foundation, 15 December 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Sudanese civil war (2023–present)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Map: RSF raid Abu Guta in Jezira State", Sudan War Monitor, 15 December 2023; Abdelaziz, "Sudan's RSF advances on Wad Madani as eight-month-old war spreads", Reuters, 15 December 2023; "RSF seize bridge and storm into Wad Madani", Sudan War Monitor, 19 December 2023; "RSF seize bridge and storm into Wad Madani", Sudan War Monitor, 19 December 2023; "Fall of Wad Madani fuels criticism of army", Sudan War Monitor, 20 December 2023 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Sudanese civil war (2023–present)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Fall of Wad Madani fuels criticism of army", Sudan War Monitor, 20 December 2023; "RSF consolidate control over Jezira and reach the gates of Sennar", Sudan War Monitor, 22 December 2023; "RSF consolidate control over Jezira and reach the gates of Sennar", Sudan War Monitor, 22 December 2023 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Sudanese civil war (2023–present)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "RSF digging mass graves in Sudan's el-Fasher to 'clean up massacre': Expert", Al Jazeera; "Sudan's civil war: 'Genocide' in plain sight", dw.com; Craze, "Inside Sudan's perpetual war", 4 February 2026 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Sudanese civil war (2023–present)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sudanese forces recapture strategic city of al-Rahad", İLKHA; Jimoh, "Sudan Army Ends RSF Siege of El-Obeid", News Central TV, 23 February 2025 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. "Sudan timeline: From the fall of Bashir to street-fighting in Khartoum", Middle East Eye, 18 April 2023. facts only, no text reused. middleeasteye.net
  11. Fulton, "Sudan conflict: why is there fighting and what is at stake in the region?", The Guardian, 25 April 2023. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
  12. "Who's who in Sudan's new civil war?", Sudan War Monitor, 1 September 2023. facts only, no text reused. sudanwarmonitor.com
  13. "Fall of Wad Madani fuels criticism of army", Sudan War Monitor, 20 December 2023. facts only, no text reused. sudanwarmonitor.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Sudanese civil war (2023–present) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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