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 22 March 2025      Controlled by Sudanese Armed Forces and allies      Controlled by Rapid Support Forces      Controlled by SPLM-N (al-Hilu)      Controlled by SLM (al-Nur)
Date 15 April 2023 – present (2 years, 2 months, 1 week and 4 days) Location Sudan (with spillovers into Ethiopia, Chad and South Sudan) Status Ongoing Territorial changes Rapid Support Forces occupy most of Darfur, and parts of Khartoum State, White Nile and Kordofan. SPLM-N (al-Hilu) occupies parts of South Kordofan. SLM (al-Nur) control parts of Darfur Since 26 September 2024, the RSF loses much of its areas in the Butana to the SAF SAF controls everything east of the Blue Nile Sudanese Armed Forces retake key government facilities in Khartoum on March 21, 2025
Belligerents
Government of Sudan Sudanese Armed Forces Popular Defence Forces Popular Resistance SPLM-N (Agar) SLM (Tambour) (from August 2023) Joint Darfur Force (from November 2023) JEM SLM (Minnawi)	Government of Peace and Unity (from February 2025) Rapid Support Forces non-RSF Janjaweed militias Tamazuj (from August 2023) SPLM-N (al-Hilu) (from February 2025)	SPLM-N (al-Hilu) (June 2023 – February 2025) SLM (al-Nur)
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
Strength
~300,000	~100,000	Unknown
Casualties and losses
150,000–522,000 killed 8,856,313 internally displaced 3,506,383 refugees

A civil war started in Sudan on April 15, 2023. This war is mainly between two powerful groups that used to be part of the government's military. These groups are the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group led by Hemedti.

The fighting has been most intense in the capital city, Khartoum, and in the Darfur region. Many people have been killed, and millions have had to leave their homes. As of February 2025, over 8.8 million people were displaced inside Sudan. More than 3.5 million others have fled to other countries as refugees.

What is Happening in Sudan?

The war began when the RSF attacked government places. Soon, there were airstrikes, artillery, and gunfire all over Sudan. The cities of Khartoum and Omdurman became divided, with each side controlling different parts. The leader of the SAF, al-Burhan, moved his government to Port Sudan. Meanwhile, RSF forces took control of most government buildings in Khartoum.

Attempts at Peace

Many countries tried to help stop the fighting. They tried to arrange a ceasefire, which is a temporary stop to the war. This led to the Treaty of Jeddah (2023) in May 2023. However, this agreement did not stop the fighting and was eventually given up.

Who Else is Involved?

After a few months, the war reached a point where neither side was winning clearly. During this time, other rebel groups joined the fight. Some of these groups had fought against Sudan's government before.

• In November 2023, parts of the Sudan Liberation Movement joined the SAF.
• The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) also supported the SAF.
• On the other side, the Tamazuj movement joined forces with the RSF.
• Another group, the Abdelaziz al-Hilu part of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North, attacked SAF positions in the south.

Recent Changes in the War

In late 2023, the RSF started gaining more ground. They defeated army forces in Darfur and made progress in other areas like Khartoum State. However, since February 2024, the SAF has been making gains in Omdurman. In March 2025, the SAF even took back the Presidential Palace in Khartoum from the RSF.

Impact on People

The war has caused a very serious humanitarian crisis. This means that many people are suffering and need help.

Challenges for Civilians

The fighting happened during very hot weather and a time of drought. This made it even harder for people. Many civilians could not leave their homes to get food or water because they were afraid of being caught in the fighting.

Hospitals have also struggled. They do not have enough staff or supplies to help all the wounded people. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported many attacks on hospitals and clinics. These attacks sometimes hurt or killed medical workers and civilians.

Food Shortages and Disease

Basic things like food, water, medicine, and fuel became very hard to find. In September 2023, the UN reported that 1,200 children died from diseases in refugee camps in White Nile State.

The war has also badly damaged buildings and roads, especially in cities like Khartoum. This has made food prices go up a lot. In August 2024, experts confirmed that there were famine conditions in parts of North Darfur. By February 2025, famine was affecting at least five regions, putting over 600,000 people at risk of starvation.

Diseases like cholera have also spread quickly. This is because Sudan's healthcare system has largely broken down due to the conflict.

People Forced to Flee

Sudanese refugee camp in Chad, May 16, 2023.

Millions of people have been forced to leave their homes because of the war. As of February 2025, over 12.3 million people have been displaced.

• More than 8.8 million people are internally displaced persons (IDPs). This means they have moved to a safer place within Sudan.
• More than 3.5 million people have fled Sudan entirely and become refugees in other countries.

Sudan now has the largest number of internally displaced people in the world.

See also

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