Sudanese civil war (2023–present)

Since April 2023, there has been a civil war in Sudan between two factions of the country's military government. The conflict involves the internationally recognized government controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and consisting of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Republican Guard; and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Hemedti, who leads the broader Janjaweed coalition. Smaller armed groups have taken part. Fighting began on 15 April 2023 after a power struggle within the government that had taken power following the 2021 coup. As of 5 February 2025 the conflict has caused 12 million people to be forcibly displaced, 9 million internally, and 3.5 million have fled the country as refugees, making it one of the largest displacement crises in recent history.

Since gaining independence in 1956, Sudan has endured chronic instability marked by 20 coup attempts, prolonged military rule, two civil wars and the Darfur genocide. The war erupted amid tensions over the integration of the RSF into the Sudanese Army following the 2021 coup, starting with RSF attacks on government sites in the capital Khartoum, and other cities. The conflict began with the Battle of Khartoum, and there has been fighting in the Darfur region. The capital region was divided between the two factions, and al-Burhan relocated his government to Port Sudan. International efforts, including the 2023 Jeddah Declaration, failed to stop the fighting, while various rebel groups entered the war: the SPLM–North attacked the SAF in the south; the Tamazuj movement joined the RSF; and the SAF gained support from factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement and Justice and Equality Movement. By late 2023, the RSF controlled most of Darfur and advanced on Khartoum, taking over most of the capital, Kordofan and Gezira. The SAF regained momentum in 2024, making gains in Omdurman and retaking Khartoum by March 2025. Despite negotiations, no lasting ceasefire has been reached, and the war continues with severe humanitarian consequences and regional implications. In October 2025 the city of El Fasher fell, giving the RSF control over the SAF's last stronghold in Darfur. Additionally, a genocidal massacre is currently taking place within the city and began on 26 October, with 60,000 dead. Other estimates, using satellite information, have been as high as 150,000 dead making this the biggest massacre in the 21st century.

Famine is widespread. Sudan faces one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with 25 million people suffering from severe food insecurity. Four million children are acutely malnourished, including 770,000 at imminent risk of death and famine had been confirmed in several regions. There are extreme shortages of water, medicine and aid access, widespread hospital closures, disease outbreaks, mass displacement, looting of humanitarian supplies, and the near-collapse of education and infrastructure, leaving half the population in urgent need of assistance. The death toll of the war, including fatalities from violence, starvation and disease, is high; thousands remain missing or have been killed in targeted massacres, primarily attributed to the RSF and allied militias. Sixty-one thousand people have died in Khartoum State alone, of which 26,000 were a direct result of the violence. Sexual violence, committed on refugees and during looting, has been widespread. UN under-secretary for humanitarian affairs Tom Fletcher has said that Darfur is the new "epicenter of human suffering in the world" due to the conflict.

There have been calls for more aid, legal protections for humanitarian workers, refugee support and an end to international arms supplies to the RSF, particularly by the United Arab Emirates. The US, UK, EU and Canada, imposed sanctions on individuals, companies and entities linked to the SAF and RSF for ceasefire violations and human rights abuses. The UAE has been found to have violated the sanctions, despite denials, shipping Chinese weapons to RSF rebels. The RSF primarily funds its operations through gold exports to the UAE. Many civilians in Darfur have been killed as part of the Masalit genocide. On 7 January 2025, the U.S. said it had determined that the RSF and allied militias committed genocide.