What led up to this crisis?

In April of 2023, the African country of Sudan went into civil war following a struggle for power between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Tensions began as far back as 2019, having increased concerning Sudanese former-president Omar Al-Bashir’s expulsion from his presidential position in 2019 in a coup from the SAF, after serving for almost three decades, with many citizens against his rule, protesting for a more democratic government. 

Civilians continued to campaign even after Al-Bashir’s expulsion, and feelings of confidence in a more civilian-centered ruling began to grow within Sudanese communities after the formation of a civilian government between an alliance of citizens and Sudan’s military. However, the government would ultimately end up being overthrown in October of 2021, with figures such as former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok & other officials being arrested. The coup d’état was led by generals Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan & Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo of the SAF, after fears of a worsening economy and threats regarding the unity of the country grew. 

Tensions had not ceased, however, with Sudan facing extreme economic issues, a pause in emergency aid from the World Bank, Sudan’s suspension from the African Union, and mass protests and disagreement among its citizens. The United Nations wanted Sudan to have a civilian-led government, so there was eventually an agreement from al-Burhan to create one, though he and Dagalo had ended up having a disagreement on how they would guide the country, ending up estranged from one another.   

This didn’t stop the SAF & RSF’s hostility towards one another from increasing. On April 15th, 2023, there would be the start of a severe conflict, as both of the military forces fired at one another at Sudan’s capital city, Khartoum, killing ~25 citizens and displacing many of its citizens. The accusation of being the first to attack passed between both sides, and as time progressed, the conflict only worsened. Millions of Sudanese citizens have been experiencing widespread displacement, hunger, poverty, and injuries.

Currently, the death toll is estimated to be hundreds of thousands of citizens. The RSF has actively participated in the ethnic cleansing of its citizens, and has had a history of participating in the genocide of thousands of non-Arabic citizens (primarily the Masalit, a non-Arabic ethnic group) in western Sudan. The humanitarian crisis has progressed to a point so severe that people seeking refuge have been massacred all over the country.  As the war continues to expand and worsen, Sudanese citizens experience more mass casualties and injuries, continuing even today, with camps and streets being cleared out & thousands of civilians killed.