Sudan Civil War: A Crisis Demanding International Recognition
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Author: Alexa Marchetti
On April 15, 2023, a series of explosions and heavy gunfire shook the city of Khartoum, Sudan. This marked the beginning of the Sudanese Civil War between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has often been referred to as a “war on the people” because of its devastating consequences for civilians, particularly women and children, through both direct violence and the collapse of essential infrastructure.
The Republic of Sudan gained independence in 1956 through a treaty that relinquished sovereignty from Egypt and the United Kingdom. However, stark internal divisions soon emerged between the country’s wealthier northern region—largely Arab and Muslim—and its less developed southern region, which was predominantly Christian or Animist. These tensions led to two civil wars, the second of which ultimately resulted in the creation of the independent state of South Sudan in 2011.
Omar al-Bashir seized power in a coup in 1989. During his rule, Sudan experienced the Second Sudanese Civil War, the secession of South Sudan, and the conflict in Darfur. The Darfur war, which began in 2003, was later condemned by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as genocide against non-Arab populations, including the Fur, Zaghawa, and Masalit peoples in western Sudan.
By 2019, Bashir faced increasing popular protests demanding democracy, improved access to essential services, and political reform. These protests led to his removal from power in April 2019 through a coup carried out jointly by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
However, a power struggle between these two forces quickly stalled Sudan’s fragile transition toward civilian rule. By April 2023, tensions escalated into open conflict, with explosions and heavy gunfire erupting across Khartoum. Both SAF and RSF leadership accused each other of firing the first shots.
“A War on the People”
Since the outbreak of the Sudanese Civil War in 2023, the conflict has increasingly been described as a “war on the people of Sudan” due to its devastating effects on civilians, particularly women and children.
Numerous NGOs have documented evidence of mass atrocities throughout the conflict, leading to accusations of ethnic cleansing and war crimes. In early November, RSF forces and allied militias reportedly killed more than 800 people during a multi-day rampage in Ardamata, a town in western Darfur.
The war has also devastated Sudan’s public infrastructure, particularly its health system. More than 70% of Sudan’s hospitals have been destroyed or rendered inoperable, leaving millions without access to essential medical care. At the same time, a cholera outbreak has spread across the country, with more than 120,000 confirmed cases and over 3,000 deaths.
The war has also forced millions of Sudanese to flee their homes. Families have attempted to escape from cities such as El Fasher and El Obeid toward safer regions or neighbouring countries in hopes of accessing humanitarian assistance. However, many never reach their destinations, raising fears that they may have been killed, detained, or stranded along dangerous migration routes.
Arjan Hen Hehenkamp, the International Rescue Committee’s Darfur crisis lead, says “The sight of these small children arriving alone, without knowing the whereabouts or the fate of the rest of their family, is harrowing..Extremely disturbing reports and satellite imagery confirm that people are not able to flee El Fasher to safe places like Tawila. Which means they are trapped, detained, or worse.”
“A War on the Bodies of Women and Girls”
The Sudanese Civil War has also led to an alarming rise in gender-based violence and sexual abuse. An estimated 12.1 million people—about 25 percent of the population—are now considered at risk of gender-based violence.
In April 2024, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield highlighted evidence indicating that women and girls as young as fourteen had been victims of sexual violence perpetrated by RSF forces.
Reports have also documented cases of human trafficking, forced marriage, and sexual slavery linked to the abduction of women and girls. At the same time, economic collapse has stripped many women of their livelihoods, forcing them into desperate and exploitative circumstances and increasing their vulnerability.
Volunteering as Humanitarian Aid Dries Up
Despite the United Nations’ efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance, sudden funding cuts by major Western government donors have significantly restricted aid operations. In a March 2025 statement, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, described the cuts as “a catastrophic blow” to humanitarian efforts in what she called “one of the deadliest humanitarian crises of our times.”
Conditions have not improved since then. The United Nations was forced to significantly reduce its 2026 humanitarian appeal to $23 billion after major funding reductions from Western donors, including the United States and Germany.
In many areas, local volunteer groups have stepped in to fill the gap left by declining international assistance.
One displaced Sudanese woman, Naoh Jamal, described how community volunteers supported her family after they fled violence in South Kordofan and North Darfur:
“In the end, it was the city’s residents and neighbourhood committees who helped us. They shared what they had with us, even though their own circumstances were not easy. If they hadn’t done that, I don’t know how we would have survived.”
A crisis needing to be answered.
The Sudanese Civil War is no longer only a humanitarian crisis; it has also become a dangerous example for other authoritarian regimes about the consequences of unchecked power. If the conflict continues without meaningful consequences, it risks signaling to dictatorships around the world that such violence can occur without international accountability.
Volunteer work and humanitarian aid alone are not enough. The crisis requires greater attention from Western powers and stronger international action. Unfortunately, none of the major powers that have publicly expressed concern for the fate of the Sudanese people have effectively held those sustaining the chaos accountable. The United Nations also remains largely powerless in ensuring that the RSF answers for its war crimes, leading many victims to doubt that justice will ever be delivered.
Overall, as the fate of the Sudanese people remains uncertain, it is essential for the international community to continue providing humanitarian aid and diplomatic support while pursuing meaningful accountability for those responsible for the violence. Such efforts may help create the conditions necessary for Sudan to move toward the democratic republic it was once hoped to become following its independence
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