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 January 3, 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.
A variety of 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 mercenaries from across the Sahel to bolster its presence.
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 understand that the vast majority of Sudanese want a democratic civilian government —not the SAF or 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. Unlike the RSF, 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. The belief system states 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 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 135,000 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.
Over 75% of Sudan’s healthcare system has collapsed and preventable disease outbreaks are becoming common.
19 million children no longer have a classroom to attend and roughly 90% of schools are closed. This is the largest childhood education crisis in the world.
Map by Operation Broken Silence
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 several weeks, reclaiming minimal territory amidst heavy fighting in the Greater Khartoum area, Gezira state, and North Darfur.
Pins on this map mark the areas experiencing the heaviest fighting right now. Areas highlighted in red are some of the most historically oppressed regions of Sudan, as well as areas where famine and emergency hunger have reached some of the highest levels.
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.
Why isn’t Sudan in the news?
The crisis deserves the intense coverage that Israel/Gaza and Ukraine have received, especially considering the scale of human suffering in Sudan eclipses both of those conflicts…combined. Sudan rarely gets coverage for multiple reasons:
1. The army and RSF have destroyed or cut cell networks and internet access in parts of the country, making it harder for ordinary Sudanese to get news out into the world.
2. The global diplomatic, humanitarian, and peacekeeping presence in Sudan has declined precipitously in previous years. There are few international eyes and ears on the ground who have the ability to get information out into the world at scale.
3. Western news agencies —American ones especially— have largely looked away following embassy evacuations from Khartoum in the early days of the war. Other international crises are treated as being more important for complex reasons, including how they affect U.S. politics, what drives clicks and revenue, the social media zeitgeist, and a general lack of interest in Africa.
There has been some solid reporting in western media outlets, but never in a sustained way that keeps people informed and helps them become engaged. You can help raise awareness and funds for Sudanese heroes by joining our global event Miles For Sudan.
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.
The United States has launched the Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) Group to coordinate global action and secure a ceasefire and full humanitarian access. The initiative has provided a small boost to humanitarian funding and opened very limited aid access, but nowhere near enough to match the scale of the emergency. 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.
Domestically, a coalition of Sudanese civilian groups led by former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok —who was overthrown in the 2021 coup— has emerged to serve as a credible alternative to SAF and RSF. Ordinary Sudanese across the country are trying to help their neighbors survive every day by running public kitchens 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.
December 2024 Generosity
Our supporters gave $26,777 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 building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. 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.
$50 - Helps bring school supplies Yida 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.
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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 building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative 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
