Khartoum, 31 October 2025: Sudan’s descent into full-scale civil war began with a power struggle between two men who once stood side by side. What started as a dispute over military integration and political control has turned into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, pitting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in a fight for dominance over the country’s future.
The war erupted in April 2023, when gunfire and explosions ripped through Khartoum after weeks of rising tensions between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the army and de facto ruler of Sudan, and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, who commands the RSF. Each accused the other of plotting a coup as talks to merge the RSF into the national army collapsed.
Both men had seized power together in a 2021 coup that derailed Sudan’s fragile democratic transition following the ouster of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019. But their uneasy alliance crumbled as Burhan pushed to absorb the RSF into the regular army within two years — a move Hemedti saw as a threat to his vast power base and economic empire.
“The integration issue was the spark,” said a political analyst in Khartoum. “But beneath it lay a much deeper struggle — over who would control Sudan’s guns, gold, and government.”
The RSF traces its origins to the Janjaweed militias that fought in Darfur in the early 2000s, accused of atrocities and ethnic cleansing during the conflict that left hundreds of thousands dead. Under Bashir, these fighters were rebranded as the RSF and placed under Hemedti’s command, gaining formal legitimacy and immense resources through control of gold mines and border trade.
When Bashir fell, Hemedti emerged as one of the most powerful figures in Sudan’s new order, commanding tens of thousands of heavily armed troops. His force rivaled the national army in size and strength, setting the stage for an inevitable confrontation.
What followed the April 2023 outbreak was chaos. Fierce fighting in Khartoum destroyed residential neighborhoods and paralyzed hospitals. Both sides used heavy weapons in densely populated areas, leaving civilians trapped for weeks without food, water, or electricity. But RSF is more accused of Human Rights violation a.
As the war dragged on, it spread to Darfur, Kordofan, and other regions. In Darfur, ethnic violence surged again, with reports of massacres and targeted killings along tribal lines. UN agencies estimate that over 9 million people have been displaced, and nearly half the country’s population now depends on humanitarian aid.
Human rights groups have accused both forces of atrocities, including looting, sexual violence, and extrajudicial killings. “Civilians have become the front line,” a UN official said. “There is no safe place left in Sudan.”
Efforts by regional powers and international mediators, including the African Union, United Nations, and Saudi Arabia, have so far failed to produce a lasting ceasefire. Each side claims gains on the battlefield, but the conflict shows no sign of resolution.
The SAF maintains control of parts of eastern Sudan and key military bases, while the RSF holds much of Darfur and continues to push for control of Khartoum. Drone strikes, air raids, and street battles have turned once-bustling cities into ghost towns.
Observers warn that the conflict could permanently fracture the state, empowering local warlords and criminal networks. “Sudan risks becoming a patchwork of fiefdoms,” said an African affairs expert. “Without a political settlement, this war could burn for years.”
As peace talks stall and humanitarian conditions worsen, millions of Sudanese face famine, disease, and displacement. For many, the revolution that once promised freedom and democracy has been replaced by despair.
“Our lives were stolen again,” said Aisha, a displaced woman from Khartoum sheltering in Port Sudan. “First by Bashir, and now by the generals who claim to save us.”
