The 2019 ousting of dictator Omar al-Bashir, who had held power for 30 years, was meant to be an inspiring story of people power and democratic renewal. Instead, it has ushered in the Sudan civil war, a conflict that has plunged the country into chaos and violence. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia has taken control of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, with armed men reportedly pointing machine guns at residents. Civilians now face severe and indiscriminate attacks, and many risk being shot if they venture outside. Reports of rape and sexual violence are widespread, leading to a sense of near-total lawlessness in the streets.
The Sudan civil war has rapidly escalated into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Out of a population of 47 million, 15,000 people have been killed and over 10 million are displaced, with two million fleeing to neighboring countries such as Chad, Ethiopia, and South Sudan – areas that also tend to be unsafe and unstable. Additionally, 18 million people face severe food insecurity. Currently, 25 million people, including 14 million children, urgently need humanitarian aid, and 755,000 are in famine conditions. An estimated 2.5 million people could starve by September, making this the world’s largest hunger crisis as well. The US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul has called for the recognition of a genocide in the country, and the Department of State has imposed sanctions on the RSF militia.
The present stage of the Sudan civil war is essentially a power struggle between two key figures. The first is General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the de facto leader of the country. The other is Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemeti, who leads the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful militia operating independently of the regular military. This autonomy has enabled Hemeti to gain control over a substantial portion of the economy, particularly the lucrative gold trade. Until the recent conflict erupted, Hemeti was effectively the deputy leader of Sudan; now, he now appears determined to become the undisputed ruler of the country.
