Written by: Ariana Tsegai 🇪🇷
Image via Salvatore Di Nolfi/ Keystone via AP
Sudan is the largest country in Africa – more than one-quarter the size of the United States – and borders nine other countries. With an estimated population of 39 million people, Sudan has long been a geopolitical hotspot. However, its ongoing internal conflict has escalated into one of the world’s most devastating wars, leading to the mass killing, displacement, and torture of civilians.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the official national military of Sudan, have long played a dominant role in the country’s politics, frequently intervening through coups. The most recent coup in 2021 ousted dictator Omar Al-Bashir, after which the SAF dissolved the civilian-led transitional government and reinstated military rule. Led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the SAF controls much of the country’s military infrastructure, including the army, air force, and navy.
While the SAF has been seen as a symbol of Sudan’s resistance and sovereignty, they have been widely criticized for human rights abuses and their willingness to use force and extortion to maintain power.
On the other side of the conflict is the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group originally formed in 2013 from the Janjaweed militias – a nomadic Arab militia group from the Sahel region that operates in Northern Sudan and Eastern Chad.
These militias gained international condemnation for their brutal actions during the 2003 Darfur genocide, where Janjaweed militias were accused of international war crimes: including massacres, widespread sexual violence, and the displacement of four million people. The RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as ‘Hemedti’ was initially created to fight insurgencies within the country and maintain internal security.
Since collaborating with the SAF in ousting the al-Bashir regime, the paramilitary force has grown into a powerful military and political force, independent from the SAF.
Growing tension between the SAF and the RSF increased as both entities looked for dominance in post-Bashir Sudan. A key provision in Sudan’s plan to transition to civilian rule involved a framework agreement to relaunch the political process in Sudan; it did not occur due to disagreements over the integration of the RSF into the regular army over fears of a political power imbalance.
Image via [AP]
These tensions erupted into a full war in April 2023, when reported violent clashings between the two entities broke out in the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, and other key cities. What began as a political and military rivalry quickly escalated into one of the worst humanitarian crises of the century, as civilians became collateral damage and subjected to the halting of food imports – with 26 million people in acute hunger.
The war has devastated the country, current fighting has displaced over 6.8 million people inside Sudan, in addition, over 2 million people have left the country.
The violence has left cities in ruins, basic social services and financial institutions have collapsed, and humanitarian aid has greatly struggled to reach those in need. A United Nations fact-finding mission published on Sept. 6 has outlined the extensive human rights international crimes in Sudan.
The report highlights the indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including mass killings, sexual violence, and the recruitment of child soldiers on both sides.
As the conflict continues, the involvement of foreign proxy powers has only exacerbated the war. Egypt, with historical ties to the Sudanese military, has backed the SAF by providing military and logistical support to General al-Burhan. Egypt has high priorities in Sudan, as its dispute with Ethiopia over the downstream country’s share of the Nile waters has created fears for Egypt’s agriculture and population.
On the other hand, the United Arab Emirates has played a more complex and controversial role in backing the RSF. The UAE’s support for General Hemedti and the RSF has been driven strictly by economic and political interests – particularly Sudan’s expansive gold mining reserves and sourcing of soldiers to fight against the Houthis in Yemen in exchange for money and arms. Sudan’s gold exports have also become a key source of income for the RSF, and the UAE has been the main destination for smuggled Sudanese gold.
A report from Swissaid said that between 2012 and 2022, the UAE received over 2,500 tons of smuggled gold from African countries, with an estimated value of $115 billion. The illicit gold trade has enriched the RSF and entrenched the UAE’s economic interests in Sudan, making the country a critical financial lifeline for Hemedti’s forces.
By funding and arming the RSF, the UAE has allowed Hemedti’s forces to continue their paramilitary invasion of Sudan, prolonging the war and contributing to the suffering of millions of Sudanese civilians.
The war between the two entities shows no signs of ending. If the international community is serious about restoring peace in Sudan and across the Sahel, it must not only address the internal dynamics of the war but also hold external actors, like Egypt and the UAE, accountable for their role in exacerbating the violence. Only by addressing the roles of these proxy powers can the world hope to bring an end to the devastating violence that has torn Sudan apart.
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