For over 70 years, Sudan has been in a state of conflict, beginning with the First Sudanese Civil War in 1955, and most recently, the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that began in April of 2023. This conflict was set off by the removal of Omar al-Bashir, the former president of the nation, in a military coup. A civilian-military government was established, then overthrown in 2021 by a military coup, led in a military dictatorship by the heads of the SAF and RSF.
The RSF evolved from the Janjaweed militia, which was involved in the genocide in Darfur in 2003, and since the coup in 2021, both the SAF and the RSF have been fighting for control over the government, with the civil war beginning on April 15, 2023. The SAF is the official army of Sudan, while the RSF is a militia backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Recently, the crisis in Sudan has escalated significantly, making it the biggest displacement crisis the world has ever seen, with over 12 million people being displaced since 2023. Around one fourth of those people have fled to neighboring countries, with some providing asylum, while others, like Egypt, send those refugees back.
Prior to 2023, Sudan had already been hosting over one million refugees, making it home to one of the largest refugee populations in Africa. The International Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has declared Sudan to be at IPC Phase 3 or above, depending on the region, with over 21 million people in the country facing food insecurity. The IPC determines phase levels based on acute food insecurity in areas where lives are threatened, such as in war-torn countries like Sudan. The five distinct phases range from minimal to catastrophic famine, acknowledging the implications of such levels of food insecurity. Phase 3 is the crisis stage, and Sudan is either at that point or above it, with some regions facing famine, showing the severity of the humanitarian crisis.
The human rights violations are atrocious, with the death toll lying between 20,000 to 150,000 for all conflict-related deaths, as of November 20, 2025. The United Nations (UN) Fact-Finding Mission also exposed sexual violence and other human rights violations in a new report, documenting rape and gang rape, often committed by the RSF soldiers.
Among the many concerns surrounding the Sudanese Civil War, the most prominent and most solvable issue seems to lie in arms dealing. The flow of new weapons into Sudan has only been increasing the RSF’s power, and is fueling the conflict more than anything. Many nations have called for an arms embargo, urging for the UN to enforce an embargo on all of Sudan.
For the millions of displaced people in Sudan, time is running out. The international community’s response to the biggest displacement crisis in history, among all the other atrocities taking place, will not only determine the future of Sudan, but will signal if or how the international community will prevent mass atrocities.
