Sudanese civil war (2023–present) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
Part of the Sudanese Civil Wars
Military situation as of 3 December 2024      Controlled by Sudanese Armed Forces and allies      Controlled by Rapid Support Forces      Controlled by SPLM-N (al-Hilu)      Controlled by SLM (al-Nur)      Controlled by Joint Darfur Force
Date 15 April 2023 – present (1 year, 8 months, 2 weeks and 2 days) Location Sudan Status Ongoing Territorial changes Rapid Support Forces occupy most of Darfur and Gezira State, and parts of Khartoum State, White Nile, Sennar, Al Qadarif, North and West Kordofan. SPLM-N (al-Hilu) occupies parts of South Kordofan and Blue Nile State.
Belligerents
Government of Sudan Sudanese Armed Forces Popular Defence Forces Popular Resistance SPLM-N (Agar) SLM (Tambour) (since August 2023) Joint Darfur Force (since November 2023) JEM SLM (Minnawi)	Rapid Support Forces non-RSF Janjaweed militias Tamazuj (since August 2023)	SPLM-N (al-Hilu) (since June 2023) SLM (al-Nur) Sudanese Communist Party
Commanders and leaders
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Yasser al-Atta Shams al-Din Khabbashi Malik Agar Mustafa Tambour Minni Minnawi Gibril Ibrahim	Hemedti Abdelrahim Dagalo Abdel Rahman Jumma	Abdelaziz al-Hilu Abdul Wahid al-Nur Muhammad Mukhtar al-Khatib
Strength
~300,000	~100,000	Unknown
Casualties and losses
61,000–150,000 killed 7,720,119 internally displaced 2,170,592 refugees

A civil war between two major rival factions of the military government of Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its allies (collectively the Janjaweed coalition) under the Janjaweed leader Hemedti, began during Ramadan on 15 April 2023. Three minor (neutral) factions have also participated in the fighting: the Darfur Joint Protection Force; the SLM (al-Nur) under Abdul Wahid al-Nur; and the SPLM-N under Abdelaziz al-Hilu. Fighting has been concentrated around the capital city of Khartoum (the largest and initial battle of the war) and the Darfur region. As of 14 November 2024, at least 61,000 people had been killed in Khartoum State alone, of which 26,000 were a direct result of the violence. As of 5 July 2024, over 7.7 million were internally displaced and more than 2.1 million others had fled the country as refugees, and many civilians in Darfur have been reported dead as part of the Masalit massacres.

The war began with attacks by the RSF on government sites as airstrikes, artillery, and gunfire were reported across Sudan. The cities of Khartoum and Omdurman were divided between the two warring factions, with al-Burhan relocating his government to Port Sudan as RSF forces captured most of Khartoum's government buildings. Attempts by international powers to negotiate a ceasefire culminated in the Treaty of Jeddah in May 2023, which failed to stop the fighting and was ultimately abandoned.

Over the next few months, a stalemate occurred, during which the two sides were joined by rebel groups who had previously fought against Sudan's government. By mid-November, the Minni Minnawi and Mustafa Tambour factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement officially joined the war in support of the SAF, alongside the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). In contrast, the Tamazuj movement joined forces with the RSF, while the Abdelaziz al-Hilu faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North attacked SAF positions in the south of the country.

Starting in October 2023, momentum began to swing toward the RSF, as the paramilitary defeated army forces in Darfur and made gains in Khartoum State, Kordofan, and Gezira State. Since February 2024, the SAF has made gains in Omdurman. Since June 2024, the RSF has made gains in Sennar State. Further negotiations between the warring sides have produced no significant results, while many countries have provided military or political support for either al-Burhan or Hemedti.

As of September 2024, the SAF has made notable gains in Khartoum and Khartoum North (alternatively referred to as Bahri). In August 2024, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Famine Review Committee (FRC) concluded famine conditions in parts of North Darfur.

Refugees

Sudanese refugee camp in Chad, 16 May 2023.

As of July 2024, nearly 10 million residents of Sudan have been displaced due to the fighting. The United Nations said that the conflict had produced more than 7.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), while more than 2.1 million had fled the country altogether as of June 2024. This made Sudan the largest host of IDPs globally. The International Organization for Migration estimated that around 36% of IDPs came from the Khartoum region. In November, the UN said the conflict created the largest child displacement crisis in the world, affecting three million children.

Of those who fled abroad, more than 160,000 were Masalit who fled to Chad to escape ethnically based attacks by the RSF and allied militias. Fighting between the SAF and the SPLM-N (al-Hilu) reportedly displaced more than 35,000 people in Blue Nile State alone, with 3,000 fleeing to Ethiopia, while more than 83,000 were displaced in South Kordofan. As of August, more than 400,000 people had fled to Chad, making it the largest single destination of refugees from the conflict, while others fled to other neighboring countries such as the Central African Republic, Egypt, and South Sudan.

Criticism was levelled at diplomatic missions operating in Sudan for their slow response in helping Sudanese visa applicants whose passports were left behind in embassies following their closure during evacuation efforts, preventing them from leaving the country.

Economic impact

The UN estimated that economic activity in Sudan fell by more than a third during the first three weeks of the conflict. In July, Sudanese economists estimated the total amount of damage brought by the conflict at $9 billion, or an average of $100 million per day, while the value of property and goods looted was estimated at another $40 billion, with the most affected areas being Khartoum and South Darfur. The exchange rate of the US dollar against the Sudanese pound in the black market rose to SDG730 in September, while it reached SDG625 at the official rate. This later reached SDG1250 in February 2024. The formal economy was described as being in a "near standstill". Gold production was also reduced to just 2 tons from the previous year's output of 18 tons. Sudanese minister for minerals Mohamed Bashir Abu Nammu accused the RSF of looting around 15 tons of silver and 1,273 kilograms of gold from the Sudan Gold Refinery at the start of the conflict.

In February 2024, finance minister Gibril Ibrahim said that the Sudanese economy had contracted by 40 percent in 2023 due to the fighting, with an additional decline of 28 percent expected in 2024. He added that state revenues had also decreased by 80 percent. Sudanese port authorities estimated that international trade had fallen by 23 percent in 2023. The Sudanese finance ministry was unable to set a national budget for 2023 or 2024 and stopped issuing quarterly reports. It also raised the exchange rate for imports and exports from SDG650 to SDG950. The fighting also rendered more than 60 percent of Sudan's agricultural land out of service, according to Fikra for Studies and Development.

In May 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that both the RSF and SAF were using revenue from the sale of gum arabic, which is primarily grown in Sudan, to finance their operations.

See also

In Spanish: Guerra civil sudanesa (2023-presente) para niños