# Sudanese civil war (2023–present)

| War in Sudan |
| --- |
| Part of the Sudanese Civil Wars |
|  Military situation as of 20 June 2026
  Controlled by Sudanese Armed Forces and allies
  Controlled by Rapid Support Forces
  Controlled by SPLM-N (al-Hilu)
(Detailed map) |
|

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Date | 15 April 2023 – present (2023-04-15 – present) (3 years, 2 months and 6 days) |
| Location | Sudan |
| Status |
Ongoing |

 |
| Participants |
|  Sudanese Armed Forces
 SLM/A - Tambour (since August 2023)  JEM (since November 2023)  SLM/A - Minni Minnawi (since November 2023)
**Support from other countries:**  Egypt  Iran  Saudi Arabia  Turkey  Ukraine |  Rapid Support Forces
* Tamazuj (August 2023 – present)

**Support from other Countries:**  United Arab Emirates  Chad **Support from groups that are not countries**  Libyan National Army  Wagner Group |
| 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 |
| Strength |
|
110,000–120,000

---

Unknown |
70,000–150,000 |
|
Unknown |

A civil war began on 15 April 2023 between two large groups in the Sudanese Military. The war is between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who leads the Sudanese government on one side the rebel paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (commonly known as Hemedti), who also leads the broader Janjaweed militia and is supported by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the other side. Several smaller rebel groups have also taken part. Fighting has been concentrated in the capital, Khartoum, where the war began with big battles, and in the Darfur region. Many civilians in Darfur have been killed by the Rapid Support Forces as part of the Masalit Genocide. Sudan has been described as facing the world's worst humanitarian crisis; nearly 25 million people are experiencing extreme hunger. On 7 January 2025, the United States said it had determined that the RSF its allies were commiting genocide.

## Background

The history of conflicts in Sudan has consisted of foreign invasions and resistance, ethnic tensions, religious disputes, and competition over resources. In its modern history, two civil wars between the central government and the southern regions led to the deaths of 1.5 million, and a continuing conflict in the western region of Darfur has displaced two million people and killed more than 200,000 people. Since independence in 1956, Sudan has had more than fifteen military coups and it has also been ruled by the military for the majority of the republic's existence, with only brief periods of democratic civilian rule.

### Political context

Former president Omar al-Bashir presided over the War in Darfur, a region in the west of the country, and oversaw violence sponsored by the state in the region of Darfur, leading to charges of war crimes and genocide. Around 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million people were forced to be removed because of the conflict. The intensity of the violence later declined.

## Timeline

### April

On 15 April, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked multiple bases used by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) but it is very weak to every bases including bases in the capital of Khartoum like Khartoum International Airport. The clashes around the state broadcaster from Sudan TV, which luckily wasn't captured by RSF forces. Bridges and roads in Khartoum were closed with the RSF claiming that all roads south of Khartoum were closed. On 16 April, the SAF announced the arrests of multiple RSF officers, the rescue of the major general and brigadier and the capture of Merowe Airport.The Sudan Civil Aviation Authority closed the countries airspace. The provider MTN also shut down internet services but unsuccess. Clashes started again on 17 April in China, Omdurman and Merowe Airport. The SAF claimed control of the Sudan TV headquarters in Khartoum, and the RSF released a video on twitter. On 20 of May, the RSF and SAF release a youtube video of killing each other with 10 miniguns.

Fighting continued in Khartoum between the SAF and RSF. The SAF accused the RSF of assaulting civilians as well as looting and burning.

### 2025 March

The RSF attack the SAF youtube equipment. The SAF was cut out of social media so did the RSF. On March of 4, the SAF get revenge for their youtube channel by destroying the RSF internet connection.

### **2026 February**

According to a United Nations report, at least 6,000 were killed from the RSF attack on el-Fasher on 14 February, 2026.

## Related pages

* List of ongoing armed conflicts