Sudan is Bleeding
By Kyle Kivaria & Shanjarika Mvungi
Sudan’s Descent Into Conflict
In the heart of Sudan, power was a fragile thing, passed like a torch through the hands of men whose ambitions burned brighter than any flame. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan stood at the helm of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), his gaze steady, but his grip tight, unwilling to loosen control over the military’s destiny. On the other side was General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo — Hemedti — whose Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had once been formed from the rugged militias that stalked the deserts of Darfur. Like two towering mountains casting shadows across the land, Burhan and Hemedti were drawn into a collision that had long been in the making.
Years earlier, the two men had joined forces to topple the old regime, ending the 30 year iron-fisted rule of Omar al-Bashir in 2019. It was a brief moment of hope, as if the long-darkened skies had parted just enough to let in a sliver of light. A Transitional Military Council (TMC) took control with al-Burhan of the RSF as its leader. Hemedti of the RSF was appointed as its deputy leader. The people took to the streets, believing in a new dawn, one where civilian hands could guide the nation. But beneath the surface, cracks began to appear. What the people could not see, the generals knew all too well — this was never meant to be a peaceful handover. The struggle for Sudan was not over, only paused.
By 2021, the dream of a civilian-led Sudan had crumbled into dust. Burhan and Hemedti, once comrades in the overthrow, now found themselves on opposite sides of a power struggle. It was a quiet kind of war at first, with words exchanged behind closed doors and tensions simmering just beneath the surface. The RSF resisted integration into the national army, pulling away like a river determined to carve its own path through the landscape. Burhan, like a mountain weathering the storm, sought to draw all power into his grasp, but Hemedti, fierce and unyielding, refused to be swallowed by the SAF’s shadow.
Then, on an April morning in 2023, the storm finally broke. The RSF moved like thunder, striking key military installations across Khartoum and other cities. It was as if the earth itself had split open, unleashing chaos into the streets. The clash between the SAF and RSF was not just a battle of bullets and bombs; it was a violent clash of wills, tearing apart the very fabric of the nation. The once-bustling cityscapes were now ghostly battlegrounds, where civilian lives hung in the balance, suspended between two warring forces. Over 500 civilians and 1,000 combatants were reported killed in the first month of fighting, with thousands more injured. More than 100,000 people were displaced and over 70,000 Sudanese fled to neighbouring countries. As the security situation deteriorated, over 10,000 foreign nationals were evacuated from Sudan.
Sudan’s cities bled. Buildings crumbled like paper under the weight of mortar shells, and the streets ran with the desperation of those who could no longer call this land home. Families were uprooted, displaced by a war that cared little for their hopes or histories. The country, once poised on the edge of peace, had been thrown into the jaws of a conflict that showed no sign of stopping. The generals fought on, each one like a beast cornered, unwilling to yield, even as their battle consumed the nation.
In the end, it wasn’t just about Burhan or Hemedti, the SAF or the RSF. It was about Sudan itself — caught between dreams of peace and the harsh realities of power, a country fighting to find its way out of the storm. And as the skies hung low, heavy with the burden of what had been lost, the people of Sudan waited for the dawn, unsure of when, or if, it would come.
Power, Wealth & External Influence
The war in Sudan rages on, not because of the thunderous clashes alone, but because of the deep roots that have wrapped themselves around the nation’s heart. Beneath the smoke and fire lies a battle of egos and ambition, where both Burhan and Hemedti see themselves not just as leaders, but as kings vying for the same crown. Neither man will bend, each convinced that only he holds the right to guide Sudan’s uncertain future. For Burhan, the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces, it is a matter of legitimacy — his army, recognized on the world stage, should command the country. Yet, even with this recognition, his grip is slipping, as fractures within the SAF make it harder to assert true control.
Hemedti, on the other hand, stands firm not just with his soldiers, but with the weight of gold beneath his feet. In Darfur, where the land itself glimmers with wealth, his Rapid Support Forces control some of the most lucrative gold mines in the region. It is this gold, pouring into his coffers, that gives him the power to keep the fires of war burning. With this financial lifeblood, Hemedti’s RSF can withstand the endless days of conflict, fueling the machine that drives his ambitions while acting as a custodian of Emirati interests in Sudan — guarding gold mines controlled by Wagner, whose extracted is then shipped to the UAE en route to Russia.
But this war is no longer just Sudan’s to fight. Like vultures circling a wounded animal, external forces have descended, each with its own agenda, each fueling the flames for its own gain. Egypt, with its eyes always on its southern neighbor, aligns itself with Burhan, seeing in him a reflection of its own military rule, providing air support. Chad, too, casts its shadow, while further afield, the United Arab Emirates quietly places its bets, supplying arms and influence to Hemedti’s forces and working alongside Russia, whose paramilitary Wagner group has been active in Sudan since 2017. Saudi Arabia, closely aligned with Egypt, has shown support for the SAF, who previously provided military assistance to Saudi forces in Yemen. Saudi Arabia have sponsored peace talks in Jeddah, provided humanitarian aid to Sudanese people and assisted in evacuating civilians from Khartoum. However, Saudi Arabia remains cautious of its Gulf rival, the UAE, and its potential influence over Sudan’s future government. What began as a domestic struggle has become a chessboard for regional powers, their hands moving pieces in a game that Sudanese civilians are forced to endure.
By 2018, Abu Dhabi had invested over $7.6 billion in Sudan’s economy, adding an extra $6 billion after the fall of Bashir. In contrast, Riyadh announced it would invest over $20 billion in sectors of Sudan’s economy including infrastructure, mining, and agriculture. This web of external interests has stretched the conflict far beyond Sudan’s borders, transforming it into a proxy war. The more these actors involve themselves, the further peace slips from reach, like a mirage on the horizon. The violence persists, each day bringing more bloodshed, while Sudan itself is held hostage by the ambitions of men and the interests of nations that see only the spoils of war, not the lives it destroys.
The conflict continues, a storm with no clear end, because the stakes have grown too high for any one player to step back. And as long as the world plays its games with Sudan’s future, the war will rage on, its fire fueled by gold, greed, the unrelenting thirst for power and regional influence.
Sudan’s Struggle For Survival
As the war in Sudan drags into late 2024, the skies seem perpetually heavy, casting shadows over a land that has known little respite from violence. What began as a clash between two men — Burhan and Hemedti — has spiraled into a full-blown catastrophe, engulfing the nation in chaos and turning vast swaths of Sudan into battlefields. The conflict has not paused for peace talks or ceasefires, and instead, it grows fiercer with every passing day. The streets of Khartoum, once bustling with life, have become unrecognizable. Entire neighborhoods lie in ruins, while Darfur and North Kordofan, too, bear the scars of relentless fighting. Civilians, once mere witnesses to this power struggle, are now caught in the crossfire, their lives shattered by forces beyond their control.
The numbers paint a grim picture. Since the conflict ignited in April 2023, the death toll has risen to over 24,000 people, a number that grows with each skirmish and airstrike. This staggering figure comes from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), which has tracked the violence in chilling detail. But death is not the only shadow looming over the people of Sudan. Over 4.5 million Sudanese have been displaced, fleeing from their homes in search of safety, only to find that the surrounding countries — like Chad and South Sudan — are ill-equipped to handle the flood of refugees pouring over their borders. Camps designed to hold thousands are now overcrowded with tens of thousands, pushing already strained resources to the brink.
Within Sudan, the situation is even more dire. Darfur, a region long haunted by the specter of conflict, has once again become a hotbed of violence, with ethnic clashes and targeted attacks on civilians adding to the destruction wrought by the ongoing war between the SAF and RSF. Entire communities are being wiped out, with civilians bearing the brunt of both indiscriminate violence and deliberate massacres. In Khartoum, the city’s residents live under siege, enduring constant shelling and gunfire, their once-familiar streets now littered with debris and the remnants of daily life.
As if the violence weren’t enough, a humanitarian catastrophe has unfolded in its wake. Cholera has spread like wildfire through displaced populations, ravaging weakened bodies and fragile healthcare systems. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 620 people have already died from cholera, and more than 21,000 others have been infected. The outbreak continues to grow, fueled by unsanitary conditions in makeshift camps and the collapse of basic infrastructure. Clean water is a luxury few can afford, and medical supplies are dwindling fast. Meanwhile, hunger tightens its grip on the country. The United Nations warns that parts of Sudan are teetering on the edge of famine, with more than 6 million people in urgent need of food and humanitarian assistance. The violence has cut off key supply routes, and the agricultural sector, once a lifeline for many, has been decimated by the conflict.
Efforts to halt the fighting, both from within and from the international community, have done little to stem the tide of bloodshed. Ceasefires, brokered with cautious optimism, are routinely shattered, leaving both the SAF and RSF to entrench themselves deeper in their positions. Mediation from the United Nations, African Union, and neighboring states has faltered in the face of unyielding ambition from both leaders, each refusing to concede an inch of power.
The situation remains bleak. Civilians, the true victims of this war, are left to navigate a hellscape of violence, disease, and hunger, with no end in sight. Both Burhan and Hemedti remain locked in a battle for supremacy, and as long as neither man is willing to lay down arms, Sudan will continue to bleed. The future, for now, is as dark and uncertain as the skies above, with no clear path to peace and little hope for those who have already lost so much.
ACT NOW!
The situation in Sudan is too dire to wait around for diplomats to strike an agreement in a boardroom in Europe. Here is what you can do to alleviate the catastrophe faced by the Sudanese people TODAY:
- DONATE to organisations like the British Red Cross, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) who are providing aid to people in Sudan. Save the Children UK is also accepting monthly donations to provide food, healthcare, and education to children in Sudan.
- SIGN A PETITION by Amnesty International has a petition calling on the United Nations Security Council to issue an arms embargo to curb the flow of weapons into Sudan.
- INFLUENCE POLICY MAKERS as you pressure governments and institutions with links to the conflict and its mediation including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, the African Union and the United Nations.
- BOYCOTT institutions and governments with links to the perpetuation of the conflict. For example, Grammy award winning rapper, Macklemore, cancelled his planned October 2024 concert in Dubai in protest of the UAE’s alleged support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
