Sudan remains in a state of violent civil war as of July 2025. The primary conflict is between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), resulting in catastrophic humanitarian conditions and widespread foreign interference.

Situation Overview

• The war erupted in April 2023 and continues unabated, with both sides committing major human rights abuses including indiscriminate attacks on civilians, sexual violence, ethnic cleansing, and the recruitment of child soldiers. Over 12 million people have been displaced, making this the world’s largest displacement crisis. Khartoum and Darfur are epicenters of violence, with urban areas like El Fasher seeing frequent attacks, detentions, and civilian casualties

• More than 1.3 million Sudanese—internally displaced persons and refugees—have recently begun returning to certain areas, but face destroyed infrastructure, unexploded ordnance, and continuing violence

• Humanitarian access is severely restricted. Only a fraction of international aid requirements are being met, leaving many basic needs—including shelter and medical care—unfulfilled.

Proxy Actors and Foreign Involvement

• The conflict has drawn in multiple regional and international actors, who support different parties for strategic reasons. Sudan is host to a complex mesh of proxy involvements:

• Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF): Receives arms and support from Egypt and Iran. Eritrea provides training camps for SAF-linked armed groups. Iran’s involvement reportedly includes intelligence support and drone supply; their influence has increased following a formal restoration of diplomatic relations with Sudan in early 2024

• Rapid Support Forces (RSF): The United Arab Emirates is the RSF’s primary sponsor, channeling weapons via Chad. The RSF also benefits from fuel shipments moving through Libya and South Sudan, and is accused of receiving backing from Russian mercenaries. Additionally, the RSF is implicated in ethnic violence and targeting African minorities in Darfur

• Other External Actors: Ukrainian special forces are reported to be fighting against both the RSF and Wagner-linked Russian mercenaries in Khartoum, as part of covert operations in exchange for Sudanese arms to Ukraine

• Iran’s strategy appears to use Sudan as a regional hub, facilitating links between militant actors (including Yemen’s Houthis) and providing the know-how and logistics for sustaining irregular warfare.

• Neither SAF nor RSF is capable of a definitive military victory. The protraction of conflict is in part attributed to these external supplies, advisors, and the indirect strategies of competing regional powers seeking to assert influence across the Red Sea and Horn of Africa.

If already signed in, go to your account at the top.

Humanitarian and Security Implications

• The widespread use of heavy weaponry in civilian areas, targeting of aid convoys, and food blockades have deepened a crisis marked by famine, lack of health care, and decimated infrastructure

• Ethnic killings, particularly in Darfur, and impunity for war crimes remain major unresolved issues. The ongoing arms flow and foreign entrenchment risk transforming Sudan into a persistent conflict zone and base for regional destabilization

Caveats

• Reporting from inside Sudan is limited by security constraints, with information flows often shaped by the interests of regional actors and competing propaganda. The situation remains highly fluid and prone to rapid deterioration or unexpected changes.

In summary, Sudan’s war has escalated into a major humanitarian emergency, underpinned by a dynamic and dangerous proxy contest involving Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Eritrea, Libya, and non-state actors such as Russian mercenaries and Ukrainian operatives.

The continued flow of arms and external support blocks prospects for peace and puts the civilian population at extreme risk.