Sudan Crisis - What You Need To Know
This guide is for those trying to learn more about the emergency in Sudan. We regularly update this page with relevant information. The last update was February 28, 2025.
The best way to stay updated about Sudan is to sign up for our free email list. You can also discover ways to help at the end of this guide.
Background
Sudan is a beautiful country in northeast Africa, just south of Egypt on the coast of the Red Sea. Sitting at the crossroads of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, Sudan is one of the more culturally and ethnically diverse countries in the world. Over 50 million people live here and it is the third largest country in Africa by area.
A brutal war broke out in Sudan in April 2023 between the national army and a renegade paramilitary force:
The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) - the country’s official military that includes the army, air force, and navy.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - a regional paramilitary group created by a previous military regime.
Several intelligence units, police forces, and local militias have taken sides in the conflict as well. Some of Sudan’s rebel groups from previous wars have too, while others are trying to remain neutral and are defending their own territory and people groups. Additionally, the RSF hires a minimal number of mercenaries from across the Sahel and forces foreign nationals in Sudan into joining the paramilitary group.
Gunfire between the two sides erupted in Khartoum on April 15, 2023. Both sides failed to decapitate each others’ leadership and extreme warfare quickly spread across the country.
Why are SAF and RSF fighting?
SAF and RSF used to be allies, but that changed after they overthrew a civilian reform government in October 2021. RSF commander Mohamed Dagalo (aka Hemeti) sees himself as Sudan’s rightful dictator, while SAF generals believe they are the true government. It’s important to know that the vast majority of Sudanese want a democratic civilian government —neither the SAF nor RSF— to be in charge. There are also significant ethnic dimensions in this war that should not be ignored:
SAF - Top army brass are mostly Nile Valley Arabs, representing the most elite and privileged ethnic groups in the country. The army is fairly diverse with soldiers from most parts of the country. Arab racism toward African tribes exists in SAF, which explains why army units have executed civilians on an ethnic basis as well.
RSF- Top RSF commanders and most of their fighters hail from Arab tribes in the western Darfur region. The bulk of the RSF adheres to an extremely racist, Arab-supremacist ideology stating that Darfur’s historic African tribal groups must be cleansed from the region and that all other Sudanese Arabs are inferior.
Sudan is home to the largest and most dangerous humanitarian emergency, far outpacing every other crisis in the world.
Extreme violence has gutted the capital city of Khartoum. Countless towns and villages are being destroyed. Many farmers cannot work. The economy has disintegrated and prices of basic goods are skyrocketing. Most schools are closed.
This is just as much a war on the Sudanese people as it is a conflict between the army and RSF. 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 results are horrifying:
No one knows the true death toll, but a moderate estimate based on available data suggests more than 150,000 civilians have already perished from violence and hunger.
Nearly 25 million Sudanese —half of the entire country— are facing high levels of acute food insecurity. 8.7 million Sudanese have descended into near-famine or famine conditions.
Roughly 15 million people have been forced to flee their homes or have left Sudan as refugees. That’s nearly one in three of all Sudanese.
Nearly 80% of the country’s healthcare system is offline. Preventable and treatable diseases are spreading quickly.
19 million children now have no classroom to attend as roughly 90% of schools are closed. This is the largest childhood education crisis in the world.
The state of the war right now
Today, SAF and its allies control the north and east of the country and parts of central and southern Sudan, while also maintaining a foothold in the North Darfur capital of El Fasher. The RSF controls almost all of western Sudan and parts of central and southern Sudan, including Khartoum proper.
SAF and their allies have launched multiple counteroffensives the past few months, reclaiming territory amidst heavy fighting in the Greater Khartoum area and south central Sudan, especially around the strategically important city of El Obied. The frontlines 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 broadly welcomed in communities the army is capturing. It appears neither SAF nor the RSF can achieve a decisive victory anytime soon, and it is the Sudanese people who are bearing the heaviest burdens.
The below map shows approximate areas of control in Sudan as of February 28, 2025. If you’ve been tracking the war with us for some time now, then you can see just how much the RSF is faltering, especially in central and south-central Sudan.
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 stop the war?
Most world leaders have chosen to ignore the catastrophe unfolding in Sudan. The few diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire have failed. International aid efforts were only 63% funded for all of 2024, meaning acute hunger is even being felt in the refugee camps outside of Sudan —where it is much easier to get aid in— simply because there is not enough attention.
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 70% of Sudanese-run emergency food kitchens, threatening to push more areas of the country into full-blown famine. Meanwhile, some countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Russia are making the crisis worse by funneling weapons and resources to either SAF or the RSF.
Ordinary Sudanese across the country are still struggling to help their neighbors survive by keeping public kitchens open for the hungry. The international community could and should be doing much more to support the Sudanese people directly, including throwing its full weight behind Sudanese citizen initiatives to pull their country back from the brink of failed statehood.
February 2025 Generosity
Our supporters gave $23,750 to Sudanese heroes, including aid workers, teachers, and healthcare professionals. This money is being used right now to save and change lives.
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What can I do to help?
Operation Broken Silence is dedicated to Sudanese communities, cultivating resilience and driving meaningful change through crowdfunded programs. For over a decade, we've allied people just like you with incredible Sudanese heroes on the ground. Here are just a few ways your generosity can help these brave people save and change lives in the days ahead.
$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.
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Operation Broken Silence is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Our EIN is 80-0671198. Your donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law.
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How is this not the biggest story in the world right now‽ https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/sudan-crisis-2024-what-you-need-to-know
It’s not in the news, but the world’s largest humanitarian emergency is unfolding in Sudan. I found this informative guide to be really helpful in understanding the situation: https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/sudan-crisis-2024-what-you-need-to-know
Sudan is home to the largest and most dangerous humanitarian emergency, far outpacing every other crisis in the world. 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. For over a decade, we've allied people just like you with incredible Sudanese heroes on the ground. Will you join us? https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/sudan-crisis-2024-what-you-need-to-know
