Khartoum became a battlefield on 15 April 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.
The war followed years of political instability and illiberalism after the removal of Sudan’s long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Under a transition plan, the paramilitary RSF was meant to join the regular army. By the time fighting began, however, it had built its own military structure and significant financial resources, including income from gold mining.
The RSF had grown out of the Janjaweed militias, which were accused of widespread atrocities in Darfur in the early 2000s.
The conflict has displaced over 11 million people, including around 4 million who have sought refuge outside Sudan. The World Food Programme says nearly 19.5 million people face high levels of acute food insecurity, with some 5 million enduring emergency or catastrophic hunger levels. A count from April put the death toll at 59,000, though the actual figure is undoubtedly an underestimate and could be two or three times higher or more.
Washington is now increasing pressure on the leaders of the two sides. Massad Boulos, the US Special Envoy for Arab and African Affairs, said Sudan’s commanders have “no future” in the country’s governance. Both Burhan and Dagalo are under US sanctions.
Boulos has acknowledged that diplomatic efforts produced no results over the past year. The United States continues to support a ceasefire roadmap agreed by the Quartet of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United States. Yet regional powers continue to fund the war and provide equipment to both sides while taking part in peace discussions.
Areig Elhag, a Sudan analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said the latest US steps signal a move away from Washington’s earlier effort to maintain a balance between the rival sides.
Washington has promoted extending the UN arms embargo across Sudan. The embargo currently applies only to Darfur. The UN Security Council has given member states one month to discuss the US proposal.
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