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Check out the latest from Sudan and our movement

Mark Hackett 5/8/25 Mark Hackett 5/8/25

Sudan Crisis Guide - What You Need To Know

Trying to make sense of the war in Sudan? We’ll get you up to speed in just a few minutes.

This guide breaks down what’s happening in Sudan and why it matters. We update it regularly so you can stay informed. The latest update was on May 8, 2025.

Want updates delivered directly to you? Join our email list. You’ll also find actions you can take to help at the end of this guide.

Sudan’s Civil War

Sudan is a vibrant, culturally rich country in northeast Africa, just south of Egypt along the Red Sea. With over 50 million people and deep diversity, it sits at the crossroads of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. It’s also the third-largest country on the continent.

In April 2023, a brutal war broke out between:

Sudan Armed Forces (SAF): The country’s official military, including the army, air force, and navy.
Rapid Support Forces (RSF): A paramilitary group formed by a previous military regime.

Police units, intelligence services, local militias, and even rebel groups from past conflicts have taken sides—some fighting, others defending their communities. The RSF is also recruiting foreign mercenaries from across the Sahel.

The war began with gunfire in the capital, Khartoum, on April 15, 2023. Both sides tried and failed to eliminate each other’s leadership and the violence quickly spiraled into a nationwide crisis.

Why Are Sudan’s Warring Factions Fighting?

The military and RSF were once uneasy allies. That began to change in October 2021, after both teamed up to overthrow a civilian-led reform government. After the coup, tensions began to rise rapidly. RSF commander Mohamed “Hemeti” Dagalo sees himself as Sudan’s next dictator. SAF generals believe they are the rightful rulers. It’s important to point out that the majority of the Sudanese people want neither in charge What they want is a democratic, civilian government.

There are also deep ethnic divisions driving the violence:

SAF: Led mostly by elite Nile Valley Arab officers, some of Sudan’s most privileged groups. While SAF is ethnically mixed at the ground level, Arab supremacy and racism persist. Army units have carried out ethnically targeted attacks on civilians.
RSF: Dominated by Arab tribes from Darfur. Many commanders and fighters hold a violent, extremely racist ideology that promotes the ethnic cleansing of Darfur’s African communities and subjugation of all other Sudanese Arab.

Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis: The World’s Largest Emergency

Sudan is collapsing before the world’s eyes. Very few people are watching. In Khartoum, neighborhoods lie in ruins. In Darfur, entire communities have been annihilated. Villages are burning, crops are rotting in the fields, and families are fleeing with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Food, medicine, and safety are all vanishing.

This war isn’t just between generals though. It’s a war on the Sudanese people. The RSF is targeting ethnic African minorities for extermination and SAF is blocking aid access to large swaths of the country. War crimes are being committed en masse by both sides. The human toll is staggering:

No one knows the death toll, but 175,000+ people may have already been killed by violence, starvation, or disease.
Nearly 30 million Sudanese —over half of the entire country— are facing high levels of acute food insecurity.
Over 8 million Sudanese have descended into famine or near-famine conditions.
Almost 15 million people have been forced to flee their homes or have left Sudan as refugees.
Over 80% of the country’s healthcare system is shot down or destroyed. Diseases outbreaks are spreading quickly.
90% of schools are closed, leaving 19 million children with no classroom to attend.

Who Controls What in Sudan’s War?

Sudan is now a patchwork of shifting frontlines—and civilians are caught in the middle. As of May 1, 2025:

SAF and their allies control most of the north and east, plus parts of central and southern Sudan. They also maintain a foothold in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
The RSF still control most of western Sudan and parts of the center and south.

Over the past several weeks SAF has launched major counteroffensives, gradually regaining ground. They’ve driven the RSF out of Khartoum and expanded their control in south-central Sudan. Meanwhile, the RSF has been losing momentum in key areas, with its forces struggling to hold onto territory in central and south-central Sudan. Many communities once under RSF control are welcoming the end of RSF terror, but the return of SAF doesn't mean safety or stability. Neither side is close to winning. The war grinds on. And it’s the Sudanese people —trapped between bombs, food blockades, and brutality— who continue to suffer most.

The below map shows approximate areas of control in Sudan as of May 1, 2025.

Map: l.r. stands for local resistance, with both of those armed groups having spent much of this war defending their territory and ethnic minority populations against the army and RSF. Click or tap to expand. (*source*)

What Are World Leaders Doing to End the War in Sudan?

World leaders have largely turned a blind eye as Sudan burns. Despite the scale of the crisis, a smattering of diplomatic efforts have failed to bring about a lasting ceasefire. International aid is only 12% funded for 2025, leaving millions of Sudanese facing hunger and disease. Even in refugee camps outside of Sudan, where aid is much easier to deliver, hunger is rampant due to the lack of support.

To make matters worse, the recent chaos the Trump Administration has inflicted on USAID —one of the largest providers of lifesaving food relief in Sudan— has resulted in the reported closure of over 60% of Sudanese-run emergency food kitchens, threatening to push more areas of the country into full-blown famine. Meanwhile, some countries —including the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Russia— are making things worse by supplying weapons and resources to either SAF or RSF, further fueling the violence.

Despite these challenges, ordinary Sudanese are still finding ways to help each other, with grassroots efforts like public kitchens being their lifeline. The international community can and should be doing far more to support Sudanese-led initiatives and prevent a total collapse into failed statehood.

April 2025 Generosity

Our supporters gave $63,550 to Sudanese heroes, including aid workers, teachers, and healthcare professionals. This money is being used right now to save and change lives.

MEET OUR PARTNERS ➡

How You Can Help The Sudanese People

Operation Broken Silence is dedicated to Sudanese communities, cultivating resilience and driving meaningful change through crowdfunded programs. Right now, our Sudanese partners are overwhelmed with urgent needs. You can help. By joining Miles For Sudan or donating below, you will be providing critical support to those most at risk.

Join Miles For Sudan

Can’t participate? Make a donation or set up a small monthly gift instead:

$1,000 - Fully funds one classroom at Endure Primary School in Yida Refugee Camp for half a semester.

$500 - Delivers food to Darfuri genocide survivors who have fled to South Sudan.

$250 - Provides a daily breakfast to 10 children for an entire month in Adré refugee camp, where many Darfuri genocide survivors now live.

$100 - Supports the monthly work of a sexual assault counselor in Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur, Sudan.

Checks can be made payable to Operation Broken Silence and mailed to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900. You can also donate stock or crypto.

Operation Broken Silence a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Our EIN is 80-0671198.

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How is this not the biggest story in the world right now‽ Sudan is collapsing and almost no one is talking about it. Check out this 🔗 to learn what’s happening and how to help: https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/sudan-crisis-2024-what-you-need-to-know
The world’s largest humanitarian crisis is happening right now in Sudan. It’s not making headlines—but it should be. This helpful guide breaks it down: https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/sudan-crisis-2024-what-you-need-to-know
Sudan is facing the worst humanitarian emergency on the planet. Mass hunger. War crimes. Millions displaced. The world must pay attention: https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/sudan-crisis-2024-what-you-need-to-know
Operation Broken Silence is dedicated to Sudanese communities, cultivating resilience and driving meaningful change through crowdfunded programs. We’ve been doing this for over a decade. You can help, too: https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/sudan-crisis-2024-what-you-need-to-know

Mark Hackett 4/25/25 Mark Hackett 4/25/25

Adré Children’s Feeding Program and Clinic Update - April 2025

What does hope look like in a refugee camp? It looks like a child receiving her only hot meal of the day. A mother being treated for malaria. A community standing together. Help us keep that hope alive.

Program Background

When war erupted in Sudan in April 2023, Darfur quickly became the epicenter of some of the worst atrocities in modern history. What began as a battle for power between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) spiraled into a brutal, targeted campaign of violence. The largely Arab RSF launched a hate-fueled assault against Darfur’s historic ethnic African communities, including the Zaghawa, Fur, and Masalit.

Between April and June 2023 alone, up to 15,000 Masalit civilians were systematically massacred by the RSF in West Darfur. By early November 2023, the RSF had overrun most of Darfur, seizing nearly every major city and cornering army units in the Greater El Fasher area. What’s followed is a nightmare.

Parts of Darfur are now in famine. Refugees arriving in Chad speak of mass killings, starvation deaths, and unimaginable loss and suffering. Many arrive in Adré with empty stomachs and thousand-yard stares. Under RSF occupation, Darfur has become a place of ongoing ethnic cleansing, widespread rape, and total lawlessness. Markets, farms, banks, and aid warehouses have been looted or destroyed. Many survivors have fled across the border into Adré, eastern Chad.

In response, Operation Broken Silence is helping provide emergency food and medical care to some of the most at-risk displaced and refugee communities. We’re supporting trusted local leaders in two key areas:

The Adré Refugee Camps in eastern Chad
The Greater El Fasher Area in North Darfur

We have some important updates below concerning the past few weeks at the Children’s Feeding Center and Healthcare Clinic we are helping to support in Adré. Both of these institutions are entirely privately funded and led by refugee leaders themselves.

For You Children’s Feeding Center

After a short pause during Ramadan, the Child Feeding Center has resumed operations, serving more than 2,300 nutritious meals to children and vulnerable patients over the past two weeks. The impact was immediate—children returned eagerly, some smiling for the first time in days. For many, these meals are their only reliable source of nourishment.

Photos: Life at the Children’s Feeding Center in Adré

For You Healthcare Clinic

Against the backdrop of displacement, hunger, and disease, the For You Clinic in Adré continues to be a lifeline. Each week, their dedicated medical and administrative teams work with incredible discipline and compassion to deliver lifesaving care to Sudanese refugees—despite limited resources and overwhelming demand. Here’s a snapshot of life in the clinic over the past two weeks:

General Medical Care
More than 1,340 patients received treatment. Respiratory infections—driven by dust storms and overcrowded conditions—remain the most common illness, followed by gastrointestinal infections, malaria, and urinary tract issues. These health trends reflect worsening camp conditions and the growing urgency for clean water, proper sanitation, and nutrition support.

Chronic Disease Support
The clinic served over 215 patients with chronic illnesses like diabetes and hypertension. These patients received essential medications, monitoring, and ongoing support to help manage their conditions—an often-overlooked need in emergency settings.

Women’s Health Services
The Obstetrics and Gynecology unit provided personalized care to 40 women. Services ranged from prenatal consultations to treatment for infections, filling a critical gap in a population where women’s health is especially vulnerable.

Emergency and Minor Procedures
The Emergency Department handled 60 urgent cases, including severe malaria and low blood pressure. Meanwhile, the nursing team treated 166 patients, delivering wound care, administering medicines, and performing minor procedures—all with a deep sense of urgency and care.

Health Education & Awareness
The Awareness and Counseling Department continues to be a crucial pillar of the clinic. Volunteer staff held hundreds of individual and group sessions, focusing on:

Maternal health and nutrition during pregnancy
Childhood vaccinations and disease prevention
Managing chronic conditions
Personal hygiene and infection prevention
Giardiasis awareness and prevention

Giardiasis—a gastrointestinal illness caused by contaminated water—is on the rise in the camps. In response, the team launched a new awareness campaign to educate families on how to protect themselves and their children.

Photos: Life at the Clinic in Adré

Current conditions in the Adré camps

What began as a desperate escape from West Darfur is now a protracted humanitarian emergency. Sudanese refugees fleeing war, ethnic cleansing, and famine in Darfur face new threats like hunger, disease, and instability in eastern Chad. Women and children especially are still arriving at over 30 informal border crossings, many having walked for days carrying only what they could, including mothers and children weakened by hunger and trauma. The scale of the crisis is staggering:

The number of Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad has surged to nearly 780,000 people.
Over 230,000 refugees are currently settled in the Adré area, more than five times the town’s original population.
87% of those registered are women and children.
13% have specific needs, including people with disabilities, chronic illness, or those who are unaccompanied.
The Chadian government and United Nations estimate that by the end of 2025, the total number of refugees and returnees across Chad could approach one million people.

Local infrastructure was never designed to support this size population with this many unique needs. Resources are stretched thin and access to safe drinking water is limited. While some refugees have been relocated to more organized settlements, many remain in overcrowded and under-resourced sites. Beyond immediate requirements for food, water, and medical care, there is an urgent need for shelter, as many refugees live in makeshift structures vulnerable to the elements and more are still arriving

With regard to safety, while it is much more secure here than RSF-controlled areas of Darfur, many of the refugees feel vulnerable. Adré sits just a few miles inside Chad’s porous border with Sudan and, while the Chadian government has troops monitoring parts of the border, RSF fighters can still easily slip into the country. Small numbers of RSF fighters have been spotted in eastern Chad, and some refugees have even received death threats from the paramilitaries.

These heroes need your help

The needs in Adré are urgent and growing by the day. Right now, it takes a minimum of $8,500 each month to keep the For You Child Feeding Center & Clinic running at current capacity. This covers everything from medical supplies and staff support to hot meals for vulnerable children to medication for patients that couldn’t afford it otherwise.

With more support, these programs can expand to reach even more people in need. Thousands are still waiting for care. Countless children go to bed hungry every night. You can help change that. In a place where hope is in short supply, your generosity means more to these people than you can imagine.

$8,500: fully fund the Feeding Center and Clinic for an entire month
$4,000: support the children's feeding program for one month
$1,000: provide one week of all basic medicines needed at the clinic
$500: feed 500 hungry children for one week
$250: help expand the children's feed program
$100: deliver nutritional supplements that help fight malnutrition
$50: deliver anti-malarial, typhus and other speciality medications

Join Miles For Sudan | Donate Stock or Crypto

Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence with Adré in the memo line and mail to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900.

Operation Broken Silence a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Our EIN is 80-0671198.

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When war erupted in Sudan in April 2023, Darfur quickly became the epicenter of some of the worst atrocities in modern history. Refugees arriving in Chad speak in hushed voices of mass killings, starvation deaths, and unimaginable loss and suffering. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/adre-childrens-feeding-program-and-clinic-update-april-2025
Over 230,000 Sudanese refugees have fled into Adré, eastern Chad. Most are women and children. A small clinic and feeding center are saving lives—but they need your help to keep going. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/adre-childrens-feeding-program-and-clinic-update-april-2025
From wound care and emergency treatment to 1,100+ meals served in a single week—our partners on the ground in Adré are doing incredible work. But the need is growing. Help us keep the clinic and feeding center open. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/adre-childrens-feeding-program-and-clinic-update-april-2025
What does hope look like in a refugee camp? It looks like a child receiving her only hot meal of the day. A mother being treated for malaria. A community standing together. Help us keep that hope alive. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/adre-childrens-feeding-program-and-clinic-update-april-2025

Mark Hackett 4/22/25 Mark Hackett 4/22/25

When classrooms crumble, so does opportunity for refugees

As Sudan enters a third year of war, the path forward feels more uncertain than ever, and increasingly grim.

As war rages in Sudan, across the border in Yida Refugee Camp something extraordinary is still happening: children are going to school.

•••••

In 2014, we began funding four Nuba teachers in Yida Refugee Camp —just south of the Nuba Mountains— who were teaching under a tree. All they had was a half broken chalkboard. Over the years and with our help they have grown their efforts into the Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary Schools, where 22 local teachers serve more than 700 students every week.

But across Sudan, children are in crisis. Most schools have closed from the war, and it’s estimated over 19 million children are out of a classroom. Many may never return. Refugee camps like Yida are some of the only places where Sudanese children can safely access education right now.

Even after escaping unimaginable violence or having been born in Yida, these students show up each day eager to learn. Their teachers —refugees themselves— are passionate, dedicated, and resilient. Together, they’re making progress despite difficult circumstances. But classrooms are under significant strain, and two urgent needs are putting learning at risk:

🛠️ Classrooms need critical repairs. Cracked walls and leaky roofs make it hard to focus and are not safe. Repairs have already begun, but we need to raise $2,400 to complete repairs so students have a safe space to learn.

👨🏾‍🏫 Most chalkboards are in their final days. Worn down from years of use, some are becoming unusable. Teachers are doing their best but it is time to replace them. Another $1,700 will provide brand-new chalkboards across the classrooms.

These may seem like simple things and don’t cost much money. But to a teacher trying to reach dozens of students in a packed classroom, or to a child eager to learn, they make all the difference. Your generosity today helps build stronger classrooms —and brighter futures— for Sudanese children who have already overcome so much.

We are currently 28% of the way to reaching our $4,100 goal! Make a donation or set up a small monthly gift to support these teachers and students:

$1,200 - Fund half of all needed repairs at the schools.

$850 - Deliver 6 new chalkboards to our classrooms.

$500 - Help purchase and deliver weatherproofing materials that can’t be sourced locally.

$140 - Give a chalkboard to a classroom.

$50 - Help purchase roofing materials locally.

Checks can be made payable to Operation Broken Silence with Schools written in the memo line and mailed to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900. You can also donate stock or crypto.

Can’t give? Sign up for Miles For Sudan, our global event to aid Sudanese heroes!

Join Miles For Sudan

Operation Broken Silence a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Our EIN is 80-0671198.

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As war rages in Sudan, across the border in Yida Refugee Camp something extraordinary is still happening: children are going to school. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/when-classrooms-crumble-so-does-opportunity-for-refugees
Cracked walls and leaky roofs make it hard to focus and are not safe. Repairs have already begun, but we need to raise $2,400 to complete repairs so students have a safe space to learn. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/when-classrooms-crumble-so-does-opportunity-for-refugees
Worn down from years of use, some chalkboards will soon be unusable. We need to raise $1,700 to provide brand-new chalkboards across our classrooms: https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/when-classrooms-crumble-so-does-opportunity-for-refugees
Operation Broken Silence is dedicated to Sudanese communities, cultivating resilience and driving meaningful change through crowdfunded programs. Will you join us? https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/when-classrooms-crumble-so-does-opportunity-for-refugees

Mark Hackett 4/15/25 Mark Hackett 4/15/25

Fire & Ashes: Marking two years of war in Sudan

As Sudan enters a third year of war, the path forward feels more uncertain than ever, and increasingly grim.

The brutal invasion of a displacement camp in North Darfur encapsulates what two years of extreme warfare, mass killings, and hunger have done to Sudan.

•••••

On April 13, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stormed Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur, a place that should be safe and secure, but instead has been under violent siege for over a year. The camp lies several miles to the south of El Fasher —capital of North Darfur— which is being defended by the army’s 6th Infantry Division and pro-army militias from a brutal onslaught by the RSF.

What is unfolding in Zamzam at the time of this posting can only be described as a living nightmare. Early reports suggest hundreds of people have already been killed —including pregnant mothers and children— as well as nine local humanitarian workers who appear to have been executed by the RSF. Tens of thousands of people are fleeing into nearby rural areas, and it appears the RSF is choking off the main road to El Fasher.

Zamzam was already one of the largest camps for displaced Sudanese. Most all of the adults and older teens living here have already survived at least one war or massacre. Some younger children born in Zamzam have never been able to leave. All have nowhere else to flee. This attack is an ongoing, deliberate assault on vulnerable minority civilians who have already lost nearly everything, and it bears the dark hallmarks of the El Geneina Massacre that the RSF committed in the early days of this war. We will provide a more extensive update soon.

**Sudan Crisis Guide**

**Trying to make sense of the war in Sudan? We’ll get you up to speed in just a few minutes.**

Learn More

Today marks two years since the army and RSF went to war for control of a country that wants neither in charge. The crimes being committed in Zamzam are a brutal snapshot of what this senseless crisis is doing to Sudan.

No one knows the true death toll, but a conservative estimate based on very limited data suggests well over 200,000 civilians have already perished from violence and famine. It is estimated that 8.7 million Sudanese have descended into near-famine or famine conditions, and 15 million people have been forced to flee their homes or have left Sudan as refugees. Countless communities have been burned to the ground and some pockets of the country can no longer sustain human life.

And yet, this war continues with almost no international spotlight. There is no bold peace process. There is far less humanitarian relief to go around than there was one year ago. Most of the world remains silent while the Sudanese people endure what has become the largest and most dangerous humanitarian emergency on the planet.

A fractured state with no military solution

As Sudan enters a third year of war, the path forward feels more uncertain than ever, and increasingly grim. The army’s grinding offensive through central —including the recent capture of Khartoum— will likely reach the eastern edge of the Darfur provinces in the coming weeks. It is somewhere here that their advance will probably hit a brick wall, as the RSF is deeply entrenched in Darfur and capable of projecting much more military force across all five provinces, as is being seen now in Zamzam.

Where that will leave Sudan is unknown; but, one once unthinkable possibility now looms large. With no peace deal in sight and both sides obsessed with finding a military solution, a more permanently divided Sudan is becoming increasingly likely.

Abroad, the army and RSF are desperate to be seen as Sudan’s legitimate rulers; but, inside the country’s borders, both are entrenching their own “governments.” The army by seizing control of largely shattered governing civilian institutions; the RSF by trying to create a separate parallel governing system from scratch. Both sides are vying to stand up their own police forces and minimally trying —and failing—to offer a few basic services, mostly to their favored ethnic groups.

Map: A rough visualization of areas of control. “l.r.” stands for local resistance, with both of those armed groups having spent much of this war defending their territory and ethnic minority populations against the army and RSF. Click or tap to expand. (*source*)

Partition, then, is no longer hypothetical. There need not be an independence declaration, sham referendum, or international recognition of a new state coming out of Sudan for the country to become effectively divided in a longer-term fashion. The lack of a decisive military victory by either side will leave at least three political/military sub-states inside Sudan’s borders —including the already largely autonomous southern Nuba Mountains— if not more. Much deeper, systemic problems beneath the surface of the atrocities will be enough to enforce such a devastating status quo.

For the army, the generals lust for power at all costs is leading them to recruiting tribal militias and extreme Islamist groups, either directly into their ranks or by arming such factions and having them operate parallel to the army. These alliances are extremely dangerous for a myriad of reasons. Many of these groups believe they have scores to settle with other Sudanese or wish to see Sudan return to something like the dark days of the now defunct Bashir regime. They also risk turning Sudan’s war into a broader regional conflict, one that could reignite long-simmering tensions along the country’s borders and further drag in outside powers.

Meanwhile, it must be recognized that the RSF’s cancerous roots stretch far beyond Sudan’s borders. The paramilitaries have connections to shadowy armed networks across the Sahel, with ethnic and logistical ties as nearby as Chad, the Central African Republic, and Libya to as far away as Niger and Mali. In the past the RSF has also welcomed support from Russia and the United Arab Emirates, and is likely still receiving considerable assistance from the latter. These relationships are multifaceted —sometimes even nonsensical— but ultimately serve as recruitment pipelines and supply routes, allowing the RSF to move foreign fighters, weapons, and fuel into Darfur with little effort. The dangers that flow back in the other direction can be a mystery, but they certainly include unaccountable fighters with hefty combat experience and weapons flowing back into their home countries.

Needless to say, the disastrous consequences of such an effective partition won’t stop at Sudan’s borders, but it will still be the Sudanese people who suffer the most. In this future, the RSF would be free to complete its multiple genocides of various Darfuri African tribes. The hundreds of thousands of African Darfuris who were forced to flee Sudan would never be able to return to their homelands. And the army and their newer allies would carry out killings in areas under their control.

This dark future is not set in stone though, even if it seems more likely on this grim anniversary. Nonviolent civilian resistance has shown remarkable resilience against the evils of the army and RSF, as well as brought some relief to the deplorable living conditions both sides are inflicting on the Sudanese people. Every day, brave Sudanese open small institutions in the form of soup kitchens and underground clinics, help deliver humanitarian aid to the vulnerable, and chronicle the atrocities being committed against them. Countless of these heroes have been killed, but it is their struggle that is keeping hope for a better future alive.

And what can friends of Sudan do?

Two years of war have pushed Sudan to the brink. But war alone didn’t get us here: inaction did. Indifference did. The silence of the international community did. None of this can be undone. The lives lost in the massacres at El Geneina, Zamzam, northern and eastern Gezira, and countless other places cannot be brought back. And while the Sudanese people continue to carry this unimaginable weight, it should not be theirs to carry alone.

We can choose to stand beside the Sudanese people in real, tangible ways. But these ways must be direct. Expressions of solidarity on social media may feel righteous, but posting online doesn’t help a mother and her children who lost everything find a way to thrive. Taking an awareness-raising or advocacy-only approach at a time when the global system is under extreme stress will yield too few good fruits, if any at all. Even now, as it feels as if more people are paying attention to the ideas of dignity, justice, and peace that have long animated the Sudanese people, the danger is that we mistake having awareness for direct action.

Our friends in Sudan can’t afford that mistake. Not when every day brings more hunger, more displacement, and more death. Sudan’s future still belongs to the Sudanese people. Our job is to do what we can to help them alleviate real suffering and begin to reverse the injustices, now. And that starts, frankly, with money. Program by program and day by day, lives can still be saved and made better through the heroic, small, and local institutions ordinary Sudanese are fighting to build up.

The Sudanese can’t live in the apology owed to them, one they are not likely to get anyways. They have to live in their homes: safe, free from fear, and prosperous. Anything less will be another atrocity.

Operation Broken Silence is dedicated to Sudanese communities, cultivating resilience and driving meaningful change through crowdfunded programs. Our Sudanese partners are overwhelmed with needs as war and hunger spread. By joining Miles For Sudan or giving below, you will help them serve the most vulnerable in this time of tremendous need.

Join Miles For Sudan

Can’t participate? Make a donation or set up a small monthly gift instead:

$1,000 - Fully funds one classroom at Endure Primary School in Yida Refugee Camp for half a semester.

$500 - Delivers food to Darfuri genocide survivors who have fled to South Sudan.

$250 - Provides a daily breakfast to 10 children for an entire month in Adré refugee camp, where many Darfuri genocide survivors now live.

$100 - Supports the monthly work of a sexual assault counselor and food relief in the El Fasher/Zamzam area in North Darfur, Sudan.

$50 - Helps bring school supplies to students in Yida Refugee Camp.

Checks can be made payable to Operation Broken Silence and mailed to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900. You can also donate stock or crypto.

Operation Broken Silence a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Our EIN is 80-0671198.

Shareables

Short statements you can share online and text to others. Simply copy and paste.

Share Our Posts: Instagram | Facebook | Threads | Bluesky | Reddit | LinkedIn
As Sudan enters a third year of war, the path forward feels more uncertain than ever, and increasingly grim. With no peace deal in sight and both sides obsessed with finding a military solution, a more permanently divided Sudan is becoming increasingly likely. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/fire-and-ashes-marking-two-years-of-war-in-sudan
The brutal invasion of a displacement camp in North Darfur encapsulates what two years of extreme warfare, mass killings, and hunger have done to Sudan. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/fire-and-ashes-marking-two-years-of-war-in-sudan
Today marks two years since the army and RSF went to war for control of a country that wants neither in charge. Learn more and discover ways to help: https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/fire-and-ashes-marking-two-years-of-war-in-sudan
The Sudanese can’t live in the apology owed to them, one they are not likely to get anyways. They have to live in their homes: safe, free from fear, and prosperous. Anything less will be just another atrocity. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/fire-and-ashes-marking-two-years-of-war-in-sudan
Operation Broken Silence is dedicated to Sudanese communities, cultivating resilience and driving meaningful change through crowdfunded programs. Will you join us? https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/fire-and-ashes-marking-two-years-of-war-in-sudan

Mark Hackett 3/29/25 Mark Hackett 3/29/25

Army captures Khartoum, ending months-long siege

After months of block-by-block fighting in sister cities and outlying neighborhoods, the army has wrested Khartoum away from the Rapid Support Forces.

Photo: Sudan's military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan center, is greeted by troops as he arrives at the Republican Palace, recently recaptured from the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, in Khartoum, Sudan, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo)

After months of fighting block-by-block through Khartoum's sister cities and outlying neighborhoods, the army has wrested Sudan's destroyed capital region away from the Rapid Support Forces.

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In the end, the army invasion of Khartoum proved to be far more anticlimactic than expected. Long-running concerns that a protracted battle in Sudan’s decimated capital region would completely destroy what is left of the city did not pan out. Instead, invading army units moved swiftly through Khartoum as Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters disobeyed orders from high command, fleeing west across the Jebel Awlia Dam Bridge, the last Nile crossing still in their hands.

Army soldiers seized the Presidential Palace on March 21. Additional units began pouring into Khartoum from the east and south over the next few days. By March 26, the army had captured the central bank and international airport.

Gunfire could be heard throughout the invasion, but there were few signs of recent heavy combat. The small number RSF fighters who did not escape were quickly killed or captured. Over the past several days, army soldiers have been securing key installations around the capital, including the Yarmuk military-industrial complex and Central Reserve Police headquarters.

Khartoum is now eerily quiet after months of explosions and gunfire inching closer and closer to the battered and hungry capital, a welcome relief to those Sudanese who never had the resources to escape in the early days of the war.

An invasion long-anticipated

The RSF took the Greater Khartoum Area in the early days of the war, minus a small number of army enclaves that were promptly placed under siege. Army generals began serious preparations to retake Khartoum well over a year ago, launching a mass recruitment drive in territory under its control and outfitting key units with heavy weaponry and new drones. By February 2024, a mass buildup of soldiers and pro-army militias north of the Greater Khartoum area was completed.

The first sledgehammer fell almost exactly one year ago, when the army launched a combined arms offensive in neighboring Omdurman that included thousands of fresh troops, heavy artillery, drones, and airstrikes. RSF forces in Omdurman were decimated in a matter of days. In September 2024 army units crossed into Bahri and fought block-by-block through that city through January 2025. Meanwhile, south and southeast of Khartoum, another army offensive was threatening to choke off Khartoum proper entirely.

The army steamrolled through the rest of Bahri (Khartoum North) in mid-February, bringing relief to army units in the Kober enclave that have been under siege since the beginning of the war. East Nile, a northeastern suburb of Khartoum, was overrun by the army throughout March. The below map provides a rough visualization of the army invasion the past several weeks, followed by some photos that have circulated on Sudanese social media.

The RSF maintains a foothold in southwestern Omdurman for now; but, besides that, the paramilitary force has now been driven out of the capital region entirely. This marks the latest defeat in central Sudan for the paramilitaries, who have lost the cities of Wad Madani, Sinja, El-Obied, and other large towns over the past few months. The RSF is now trying to frame the fall of Khartoum as their merely “repositioning” forces in a strategic manner.

In reality, the paramilitaries were outmanned and outgunned in Khartoum, hence the hasty flight of RSF fighters.

What does all this mean for Sudan’s besieged citizenry?

While the millions of Sudanese who called Khartoum home before the war hope to return, it is likely most will hold off for now. There is still a lack of public services in the Greater Khartoum area, and pockets of extreme hunger exist among the countless destroyed homes and wrecked markets. Khartoum is unable to sustain a large amount of human life at this time and likely won’t be able to for months. Early reports suggest at least a few thousand people have returned over the past few days though.

Just how damaged is the capital area? The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate provides a small window into the scale of the destruction. After nearly two years of war, journalists say that at least 90% of television, newspaper, and radio facilities have been completely destroyed. The war has led to the complete cessation of print newspapers in Khartoum for the first time in over 120 years.

The frontlines recently shifting in favor of the army likely won’t see much improvement in living conditions, although not being under the terror of RSF rule is being welcomed in Khartoum. Humanitarian aid is still being blocked in large parts of the country by both the army and RSF. And the Trump Administration’s attempted illegal closure of USAID —one of the largest providers of lifesaving food relief in Sudan— has resulted in the reported closure of over 60% of 1,400+ Sudanese-run emergency food kitchens, threatening to push more areas of the country into full-blown famine, including more pockets of Khartoum.

The bottom line is that the Sudanese people continue to bear the brunt of this war and the resulting famine. And they need your help.