Sudan Crisis Guide - What You Need To Know
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.
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
