Sudan Civil War: SAF vs RSF
Facts:
Sudani Armed forces (SAF) is the official military force of Sudan that controls Kahrtoum, Port Sudan and east Sudan while Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is a militia group mainly controlling Darfur and southern regions in Sudan. SAF is commaned by General Abdel Fateh Al-Burhan while General Hamad Mosa Hemedti leads RSF. RSF is allegedly supported by UAE via shipments through Chad and Mali while Iran and Russia support SAF.
RSF sieged Darfur for 18 months and reportedly 150,000 people were killed. It also caused serious healthcare problems (e.g, cholera outbreaks), and mass migration (of 14 million people); more than 8 million are internally displaced (IDPs) and around 3.8 million people moved to neighbouring countries Egypt (1.5 million), Chad (775,000) and South Sudan. The October killings in Al - Fasher occured due to drone attacks on the refugee camp which caused 57 casualties.
Causes:
The ongoing conflict started in early 2023 when the negotiations to merge RSF into SAF failed. Both the generals performed a combined military coup against transitional civilian government in 2021, which came into power after the exit of long standing dictatorship. But the differences arose over power sharing, personal wealth and influence and control of oil fields and gold mines of the North Sudan.
The civil war history in Sudan isn't something new, it has roots from the separation when the lines were drawn between Egypt and Britain, ignoring the ethnic and religious groups. The unrest always remained between Muslim Arabs, non-Muslim Arabs, and other regional ethnicities. The first civil remained 7 years (1965-72). Sudan also witnessed a long civil war 1983-2005, the climax came when South Sudan got separated from Sudan through a referendum after peace talks.
Impacts:
The healthcare system in Sudan has collapsed; there has been frequent outbreaks of cholera and malaria. Almost 90% children are out of schools, increasing illiteracy and child soldiers. Almost 3 million girls and women are at danger of getting assaulted. The GDP of sudan has decreased by 80% of the pre-war levels due to destruction of oil refineries and infrastructural collapse. The spillage of this migration creating problems in neighboring countries. Many people have been involved in crimes, the bigges of which has been smuggling of arms and drugs.
Solutions:
The UN has been keen to resolve this matter; UN passed a ceasefire resolution in early 2024. The UN has sent its mission to solve the dispute, put embargo on the arms supply, released funds for healthcare facilities and schools, though there has been shortfalls due to cuts in USAid. United States also made a special envoy to look into this matter. Also there have been talks in Riyadh and Geneva to resolve the issue. The recent positive development was made RSF signed a deal in Neirobi in early 2025, agreeing to the formation of a civil government while asking for legitimacy.