Sudan

Background reviewed 2026-10-23 · Background as of 2026-10

Background

War broke out in Sudan on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), beginning in the capital Khartoum and spreading to Darfur, Kordofan and other regions.

The army regained control of Khartoum in March 2025, while the RSF announced a rival government in mid-2025 and took El Fasher, the last army stronghold in Darfur, in October 2025. In 2026 heavy fighting was reported in the Kordofan region, including around El Obeid. International efforts to agree a humanitarian truce have not produced a lasting ceasefire.

Reports from Sudan are often delayed or limited by communications outages, so events may appear on this page days after they happened.

History

Sudan became independent in 1956 and experienced two long north–south civil wars, which ended with the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the independence of South Sudan in 2011. From 2003, war in the western region of Darfur led to atrocities that brought charges at the International Criminal Court; the government-backed Janjaweed militias of that period were the forerunners of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Mass protests in 2018–2019 led the army to remove Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled for three decades. A transitional partnership between civilian groups and the military followed, but it ended with a military takeover in October 2021. Disputes between the army and the RSF over how to merge the two forces led directly to the war that began in April 2023.

Main parties

Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) — Led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan; the army-aligned government moved to Port Sudan during the war.
Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — Paramilitary force led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (“Hemedti”); took El Fasher, the last army stronghold in Darfur, in October 2025.
Allied armed groups — Several Darfuri armed movements fight alongside the army; other groups are aligned with the RSF.

Key dates

2019-04-11 — President Omar al-Bashir is removed from power after months of protests.
2019-08 — A transitional civilian-military government is formed.
2021-10-25 — The military takes power in a coup, ending the power-sharing arrangement.
2023-04-15 — Fighting erupts between the SAF and the RSF in Khartoum.
2025-03 — The army retakes central Khartoum, including the presidential palace.
2025-07 — An RSF-led coalition announces a rival government.
2025-10-26 — The RSF takes El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, after a siege of more than a year.
2026 — Fighting intensifies in Kordofan, including around El Obeid.

Humanitarian situation

UN agencies describe Sudan as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis, with millions of people displaced inside the country or as refugees in neighbouring states. Famine conditions have been confirmed in parts of Darfur and Kordofan, and attacks on health facilities and aid workers have been widely reported.

How to read reports about Sudan

Communication blackouts mean the date an event is reported can be much later than the date it happened; both dates are shown.
Many reports come from humanitarian organisations via ReliefWeb rather than from news outlets.

Recent events

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