Photo via Axios
***
Sudan, amid its escalating civil war, is rapidly deteriorating. Not to be mistaken for its recently independent neighbor, South Sudan, this nation is Africa’s third-largest country, as well as one of its largest gold producers. With nearly 500 miles of Red Sea coastline, it has become embroiled in a war intensified by the involvement of multiple foreign governments, including Iran and Russia. These nations are supplying arms to opposing factions, aiming to shift the balance for profit and strategic advantage—all while the Sudanese people suffer in the crossfire. As political instability, humanitarian crises, and encroaching foreign influence wrack the country, Sudan is nearing complete collapse. Without increased international intervention, the entire North African region risks devolving into devastated, war-torn territories.
Immense governmental struggles have hindered Sudan’s enormous economic potential and prosperity since even before the civil war began. With the nation now being systematically torn apart, 10 million people have forcibly been left displaced. Even schools and universities have been forced to close, leaving an estimated 19 million children without an education and in prime position to be recruited by military groups. The situation is so dire, in fact, that the UN Children’s Fund warned that Sudan is struggling with “the worst education crisis in the world” on top of its devastating conflict.
At the center of the civil war are the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the two paramilitary groups fighting for state dominance. The former’s general, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and the latter’s, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, were notably once partners in staging a coup. But since their success, their battle for supremacy has wreaked havoc on the nation.
The future looks grim for the Sudanese people as war rages on. Experts on global hunger rarely declare famine, but recently, two organizations have officially proclaimed that the Darfur region of Sudan is suffering from just that. Such a declaration should serve to draw worldwide attention and push other governments to help victims. Unfortunately, little progress has been made in this regard, as the UN recently announced that approximately a dozen additional regions in Sudan are now at risk of famine. Clearly, the international community has not done enough to alleviate the Sudanese people’s suffering.
On top of all of this, foreign nations such as Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Iran have been reportedly funding the RSF and SAF militaries with money, weapons, and advanced drones in attempts to strengthen their political and economic footholds in Africa. In many cases, this intervention is done under the guise of humanitarianism. Officials report that the UAE is among the most influential external players in the war, publicly committing to alleviating Sudan’s suffering while, in reality, fueling the conflict. The Russian government has also warmed its relations with the Sudanese military, laying the groundwork for Sudan to permit Russian access to its Red Sea coast in exchange for weapons—something that would be disastrous for Ukraine. Iran, too, has been sending Sudanese military groups armed drones, which have been critical in recent victories.
These external countries’ increasing influence is especially concerning because Sudan shares borders with seven countries—the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, and South Sudan—which have all been similarly threatened by instability. The collapse of Sudan would very likely result in these nations becoming increasingly vulnerable to a similar political demise. Still, the international community has done little to admonish and prevent Russian, Iran, and the UAE from intervening in the war.
Further, despite the devastation and international interference, the Sudanese civil war receives comparatively less international media attention than other global issues. Two experts on Sudan’s current state of affairs, Laetitia Bader and Christopher Tounsel, spoke at a panel event at Stanford University about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the nation, deeming it the ‘willfully overlooked conflict’ and calling for increased media coverage. Tounsel specifically argued that the heightened focus on the Israel-Gaza and Ukraine-Russia wars has diminished the urgency to report on the crises in Sudan; he also identified racist and hegemonic narratives as the reason for the international community’s unwillingness to help. Bader spoke about how the removal of peacekeeping operations in Sudan directly correlated with an increase in violence and called for the return of international intervention on the Sudanese people’s behalf. Targeted sanctions and deploying a new civilian mission were among her other proposed solutions.
The international community must urgently focus on Sudan’s humanitarian crises and assume a more active role in preventing hegemonic nations from taking complete control. As mentioned earlier, countries like Russia, Iran, and the UAE are poised to exploit and exacerbate the current power vacuum in Sudan. If they succeed, the North African region as a whole will be at risk. This, ultimately, could lead to the ruin of a resource-rich area, not to mention additional mass devastation and the displacement of millions.
While peace talks have already occurred, they ultimately failed. The RSF and SAF have made it abundantly clear that no diplomatic compromise will be found between the two groups for a very long time. This sentiment was made especially clear during the U.S.-led talks in Geneva in August of 2024, where the SAF declined to send a delegation to the talks altogether. Kholood Khair, an accredited policy think-tank director, commented, “This is very much a multiregional war of different actors. By no means,” she added, “can it be resolved locally.”
Clearly, the unique nature of this conflict makes Sudan an urgent, albeit challenging, cause to help. Still, now more than ever, there is an urgent need for the international community to formulate practical strategies aimed at helping the people and state of Sudan. Although there is growing support among activists, peacekeeping experts, and human rights groups for a United Nations mission to protect civilians, many still need to be convinced that such a force could be assembled—much less make a meaningful impact. Even presently it has been reported that humanitarian agencies face severe obstacles in delivering aid, hindered by ongoing conflict, security threats, blocked roads, and restrictive tax demands. But despite these doubts, taking action is essential. Demonstrating to the people of Northern Africa that there is an effort to defend their rights and freedoms—especially as more powerful nations attempt to undermine them—is vital if there is to be any attempt at future reconstruction in Sudan and the preservation of North African countries’ sovereignty.
Though peace in Sudan may seem out of reach, this is no reason to abandon hope for the Sudanese people. The severe humanitarian crisis demands urgent global attention and action. Western countries must begin implementing targeted sanctions against intervening nations to signal that supporting factions in Sudan is unacceptable. Now is the time for the international community to recognize the gravity of Sudan’s plight and take meaningful steps—before the devastation intensifies further.
***
This article was edited by Bowen Yao.
