Sudan’s Civil War Ravages The Core Of Our Humanity

Sudan’s civil war erupted in April 2023, and so far, several rounds of peace talks have been of no avail in bringing an end to the horrific, ongoing conflict. Two generals who were aligned in bringing about the coup of 2021 are now the leaders of the opposing sides: General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and, in essence, the country’s president. His one-time deputy and now opponent is General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, leader of the 100,000-strong Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In June 2025, the RSF won a significant victory when it seized control of the region along Sudan’s border with Libya and Egypt. Libyan strongman General Khalifa Haftar has been accused of supporting the RSF by providing it with weapons and fighters. The RSF also controls most of Darfur and much of neighboring Kordofan. In fact, there are fears that the country may once again be divided into two states if the RSF carries through with its declared plan to establish a rival government.

Unfathomable Atrocities
Perhaps the most horrifying consequence of the conflict is the rape and killing of innocents, including children and toddlers. The UN reports that over 40,000 people have been killed and more than 14 million have been displaced; the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification has identified widespread famine, which is affecting nearly 400,000 people. There’s also been horrifically extensive sexual violence against very young children, and reports of children attempting to end their own lives as a result of these attacks.

The Massalit people and other non-Arab communities in Sudan’s West Darfur state have been the target of ethnic cleansing. The RSF and allied Arab militias have perpetrated atrocities and relentless assaults in Massalit neighborhoods in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, slaughtering thousands and leaving as many without a home or refuge.

In February, the Sudanese army bombed Nyala, South Darfur’s largest city, with unguided bombs. These strikes killed dozens and devastated civilian neighborhoods, a textbook case of indiscriminate warfare. Meanwhile, UN convoys have been attacked multiple times, including in early June and late August, proving again that humanitarian workers are under siege too.

The Complicit Countries in Sudan’s Mayhem
General al-Burhan is mainly supported by Qatar, which provides him with financial backing and weapons. He is also supported by Iran, which is reportedly supplying drones, and Eritrea, which hosts training camps for SAF-aligned groups, especially near the eastern borders. The RSF is getting significant backing from the United Arab Emirates, which has been accused of sending them weapons and drones. Turkish defense firms have also been involved in providing drones that end up being used by both sides.

The Washington Post has reported on how the use of drugs – specifically Captagon, a synthetic amphetamine – by militia fighters “has introduced a dangerous new variable to an already lawless battlefield.” Captagon pills, which can be produced in the hundreds of millions, make fighters more prone to violence and more likely to commit unspeakable atrocities.

Half of Sudan’s population now depends on humanitarian aid to survive – over 25 million people relying on food deliveries just to make it through the day, in a country where bombs keep falling and villages are burned to ash. Both the RSF and SAF are committing atrocities with impunity, with civilians trapped in the middle of this nightmarish war: targeted ethnic killings, gang rapes, airstrikes on hospitals and homes, looting of aid, and blockades that starve entire cities.

If either side pushes for total victory, which at this point seems all but unattainable, it will involve an escalation of the slaughter to truly catastrophic proportions – as it will mean that other states (Russia, Iran, UAE, Libya, Chad, Ethiopia, Egypt, etc.), which have thrown in with one side or the other, will have to significantly ramp up their support in military aid and the provision of more advanced weaponry. Both sides remain utterly entrenched in their mutual opposition, and the states backing them do not seem willing to consider applying diplomatic pressure to change the status quo.

If the conflict continues to rage for years, it would destroy whatever is left of Sudan and only deepen the calamity that has been inflicted on millions of Sudanese civilians.

There is No Time to Lose
The civil war in Sudan is a moral and humanitarian outrage—a power squabble between two ruthless military leaders, neither of whom has the true interests of their country at heart, but each of whom is greedy for more power and wealth while civilians are paying an unfathomable price in death and destruction.

The international community must come to its senses and make a concerted diplomatic effort to bring an end to this senseless carnage and indiscriminate killing, rape, and pillage.

Such an effort may sound like wishful thinking, but how many more children must see their parents be murdered or sexually assaulted? How many more mothers must watch as their children are killed before their eyes? How many more women must be gang raped before being brutally killed by drug-fueled paramilitaries? How many more children must attempt to end their own lives to escape the horror of their existence?

The International Community Must Act Now
Several conditions must be met for the war to end. Sadly, there is no reason to believe that Trump will do anything to end the war. His complicity in the genocide in Gaza speaks volumes about his apathy and callousness. Thus, ending the war would require a nuanced international diplomatic push, especially from the UN and the EU.

First, the international community must support credible investigations, impose a comprehensive arms embargo on all parties involved in Sudan to cut off the flow of weapons, and end their cynical and self-serving support.

Second, the EU and the UN can coordinate targeted sanctions on individuals and entities supplying financial or military support to the combatants and ensure protection for the millions still trapped in this war.

Third, the EU and the UN can push for an international-led peacekeeping mission to protect civilians and create safe zones for humanitarian aid.

Fourth, the UN and EU must sponsor inclusive peace talks that involve not just the warring parties but also local civil society leaders and regional stakeholders.

Fifth, the international community should increase humanitarian funding and logistical support to ensure food, medical aid, and shelter reach those in need.

Sixth, an international inquiry or tribunal must be established to document war crimes and hold perpetrators accountable, creating pressure for both sides to negotiate.

Seventh, negotiators must leverage regional diplomacy by engaging neighboring African and Middle Eastern countries to support a unified peace effort.

This is a war without any redeeming qualities – there are no lofty ideals at stake, and neither side, if victorious, is likely to ensure the country a better or brighter future. But an end to the war would mean halting an ever-growing crisis, which is affecting millions of men, women, and children whose lives are beset with starvation and the daily threat of sexual violence, mutilation, and death.

It is time for Western powers to act. Otherwise, their moral bankruptcy will be on full display, as conditions will continue to degenerate and ultimately devolve into an unimaginable living hell for tens of millions of innocent Sudanese.