While headlines fade quickly, the people of Sudan continue to live through one of the most urgent humanitarian crises of our time. Families are being displaced daily, communities are cut off from aid, and the fight for safety is far from over.

How the War Began

On April 15, 2023, war broke out in Sudan between two groups that were once supposed to share power and lead the country toward democracy:

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Mohamed “Hemedti” Dagalo

Both men were part of the transitional government after the people’s revolution in 2019, when millions filled the streets demanding freedom, peace, and justice, ending three decades of rule under Omar al-Bashir.

But what began as shared leadership quickly fractured. Disagreements over who should control the army, how and when the RSF would merge into the national forces, and who would lead the country forward turned into an all-out power struggle.

By 2023, those tensions exploded into war. What was meant to be a new era of democracy collapsed into a fight for domination and Sudan’s people have been paying the price ever since.A History Written in Instability

Sudan’s current suffering cannot be understood without its history. The country has lived through repeated coups, authoritarian rule, and deep scars left by colonial interference. The Darfur genocide of the early 2000s remains etched in memory, yet accountability was never fully delivered.

Promises of democracy after the 2019 revolution, when civilians took to the streets demanding freedom and justice, were soon overtaken by military interests. What Sudan faces today is the violent unraveling of those broken promises.

Before Darfur: The Roots Run Deep

To understand Sudan’s current war, we have to look back, long before Darfur, long before Bashir.

Sudan’s story is one of resilience, but also of colonial interference, military coups, and systemic marginalization that planted the seeds for today’s suffering.

Colonial Division (1899–1956):

Sudan was ruled under the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium, a colonial system that split the country along racial, religious, and geographic lines:

The North, largely Arab and Muslim, received investment and education.
The South, largely African and non-Muslim, was isolated and neglected.

When Sudan gained independence in 1956, it inherited borders and tensions drawn by colonizers these are divisions that never healed.

Civil Wars and Coups:

Almost immediately, the country fell into conflict.

The First Civil War (1955–1972) erupted between the central government and the South, demanding autonomy.
A peace deal granted limited self-rule, but inequality and mistrust persisted.

In 1969, Jaafar Nimeiri seized power and later imposed Islamic law nationwide, reigniting violence in the South.
The Second Civil War (1983–2005) killed over two million people, displacing millions more, one of Africa’s longest and deadliest wars.

It ended with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, leading to South Sudan’s independence in 2011. But many regions, Darfur, Blue Nile, South Kordofan—remained marginalized, fueling more uprisings.

Darfur and the Rise of the RSF:

In the early 2000s, rebellion in Darfur over decades of neglect was met with brutal force.
Government-backed militias known as the Janjaweed carried out ethnic cleansing, killing hundreds of thousands.
These militias would later evolve into the Rapid Support Forces—the same group now fighting for control of the country.

So today’s war is not new, it’s the latest chapter in a long history of power hoarding, broken peace deals, and the struggle of Sudan’s people to be seen, heard, and free.

The Human Cost

The scale of suffering today is staggering:

Nearly 12 million people have been forced from their homes, making Sudan the largest displacement crisis in the world.
Over 25 million people—half the population, now rely on humanitarian aid to survive.
5 million are facing famine-level hunger, with 3 million children acutely malnourished.
80% of hospitals in conflict zones are nonfunctional.
A cholera epidemic has infected over 382,000 people and killed 4,478 since 2024.

And behind these numbers are stories, of women and girls facing rape, abduction, and sexual slavery; of families watching loved ones starve in sieged cities; of children growing up under constant shelling.

In El-Fasher, 23 people, including pregnant women and children have recently died from starvation.
In Omdurman, 56 civilians were killed in a market bombing.
In North Darfur, a drone strike hit a busy marketplace, killing 15 people.

Survival itself has become a daily act of courage.

Why This Matters

This is not just some local conflict. Sudan sits at a crossroads of Africa and the Arab world, with deep cultural, historical, and geopolitical significance. Its collapse sends shockwaves across borders, destabilizing an entire region already burdened by climate change, refugee flows, and political unrest.

But beyond politics, Sudan is home to rich traditions of poetry, music, and resilience. It is the land of Nubian pyramids, of storytellers and revolutionaries, of people who have carried hope through generations of hardship. Allowing this crisis to fade from view would mean abandoning not just a nation, but a lineage of culture and humanity.

What We Can Do

We may not be able to end the war overnight, but we can refuse silence.

Support Sudanese-led relief networks and trusted humanitarian organizations.
Share responsibly, amplifying Sudanese voices and verified updates.
Advocate for protection corridors and international accountability.

Sudanese Relief Networks:

Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) – community kitchens, evacuations, documentation, and basic aid.

Mutual Aid Sudan Coalition – donor-to-frontline funding with transparency and flexibility.
Sudanese Red Crescent (SRCS) – established nationwide volunteer network with comprehensive emergency and health services.
Sudan Doctors Union (SDU) – medical advocacy and healthcare delivery in crisis settings.

Sudan is not forgotten. Not by those surviving in camps and shelters, not by the families carrying culture in exile, and not by those of us who choose to keep the light on their struggle.

In a time when crises compete for attention, solidarity becomes an act of resistance. To look at Sudan clearly is to affirm that even in the darkest of wars, humanity deserves to be seen, and to endure.

War in Sudan: The Crisis The World Must Not Look Away From.