Sudan is experiencing one of the most devastating conflicts in the world today. What began in April 2023 as a power struggle between two military forces has spiraled into a complex civil war, fueled by external funding, competition for resources, and ethnic conflicts leaving civilians caught in between.
What is the Fight About?
The violence erupted when Sudan’s main military force, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), confronted each other over how power in Sudan would be shared. The RSF, originating from earlier paramilitary units in Darfur, challenged the SAF’s dominance.
The fight has since grown well beyond that internal struggle. Tensions are rising over economic and geopolitical competition. For example, the RSF controls territory rich in gold, resources, and agricultural land. That control gives them leverage and income, making them a formidable party in Sudan.
How Other Nations are Involved
Foreign actors also exasperate the issue. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been accused of providing weapons, money, and logistical support to the RSF. According to the HRRC (Human Rights Research Center) the UAE “directly transmitted weapons and military aid to the paramilitary group” in Sudan. The UAE’s interest stems from its economic and strategic investments in Sudan- for example, in gold, agriculture and ports. By backing the RSF, the UAE gains influence over these valuable resources.
At the same time other nations back the SAF (for instance, Egypt has closer ties to the SAF). Sudan has become a battlefield due to both internal division and Regional rivalries.
Tragic Violence and Growing Death Tolls
The war in Sudan has produced devastating violence, especially against Sudanese civilians, and the number of deaths continues to climb. Between January and June of 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Office documented at least 3,384 civilian deaths, mostly in regions such as Darfur, Kordofan, and around the capital, due to shelling, airstrikes and drone attacks.
The true mortality rate is likely higher because many areas are inaccessible for reporters according to the Sudan Tribune. At least 542 civilians were killed in North Darfur over a three week period as fighting surged around the city of El Fasher as reported by Al Jazeera.
The nature of these attacks is particularly brutal; Many deaths come from air and drone strikes (from the SAF and RSF), and from artillery shelling of residential areas. For instance, in 2024 the monitoring group Action on Armed Violence found that among “explosive violence” incidents in Sudan, the majority of casualties were civilians, and nearly two-thirds of those incidents involved air or ground launched weapons.
In short, the death toll reflects not just Battlefield casualties but mass violence against civilians who are caught in the middle of a war they did not start.
Video and photo evidence
Another shocking aspect of the war in Sudan is how videos and photos are being shared to reveal the violence as it happens. In the city of El Fasher, after the takeover by the paramilitary force Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a large number of videos emerged showing executions, bodies and mass graves, and soldiers celebrating killings reported by The Washington Post.
The world is watching but is it listening?
As Sudan’s war rages on, the images and news emerging from the country are impossible to ignore. Millions of innocent people are trapped in a conflict fueled by power, greed, and outside influence. Videos circulating online make the war impossible to ignore; Yet the global community is mostly silent on Sudan. The least we can do is stay informed, speak up, and refuse to look away.
