Sudan Crisis Guide - What You Need To Know
This guide breaks down what’s happening in Sudan and why it matters. We update it regularly so you can stay informed. The latest update was on October 31, 2025. Want updates delivered directly to you? Join our email list. You can also find specific ways to help at the bottom of this guide.
The War In Sudan
Sudan is a beautiful country with a rich history in northeast Africa, just south of Egypt along the Red Sea. With over 50 million people and deep diversity, Sudan sits at the crossroads of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. It’s also the third-largest country on the continent.
On April 15, 2023, a brutal war broke out in Khartoum between:
Sudan Armed Forces (SAF): The country’s official military, including the army, air force, and navy.
Rapid Support Forces (RSF): A paramilitary group formed by a previous dictatorship.
Both sides failed to eliminate each other’s leadership and the violence quickly spiraled into a nationwide crisis. Police units, intelligence services, local militias, and some rebel groups from past conflicts have taken sides. The RSF is also recruiting foreign mercenaries from across the Sahel.
Why Are Sudan’s Warring Factions Fighting?
The military and RSF were once allies. That began to change in October 2021, after they teamed up to overthrow a civilian-led reform government. Tensions rose rapidly between both sides after the coup. RSF commander Mohamed “Hemeti” Dagalo sees himself as Sudan’s next dictator, while SAF generals believe they are the rightful rulers.
It’s important to note that most of the Sudanese people want neither in charge. A majority want a democratic, civilian government. There are also deep ethnic divisions driving the violence:
SAF: Led mostly by elite Nile Valley Arab officers, some of Sudan’s most privileged groups. While SAF is ethnically mixed at the ground level, Arab supremacy and racism persist. Army units have carried out ethnically targeted attacks on civilians.
RSF: Dominated by Arab tribes from Darfur. Many commanders and fighters hold a violent, extremely racist ideology that promotes the ethnic cleansing of Darfur’s African communities and subjugation of all other Sudanese Arab.
This map shows approximate areas of control in Sudan:
Pink: Sudan Armed Forces and Joint Forces allies
Green: Rapid Support Forces and militia allies
Purple: SLM, a Darfuri rebel group from previous wars
Yellow: SPLM-N, indigenous rebel group in the Nuba Mountains from previous wars
Orange: RSF and SPLM-N have a fragile alliance with troops that overlap in some areas.
After capturing Khartoum earlier this year, SAF launched major offensives into central and south-central Sudan, expanding their control to El-Obied and pushing westward toward RSF strongholds in Darfur. The RSF has ground the army’s advance to a halt in North Kordofan and is now regaining limited ground in the province.
Meanwhile, a SAF garrison and their local allies have been driven out of El Fasher in North Darfur after a brutal RSF siege that has been underway since 2023. The RSF is now committing a genocide in the city.
Map: Click or tap to expand. (source)
SAF’s long supply lines and ongoing fuel shortages —caused in part by RSF drone strikes on critical infrastructure— has weakened the army’s ability to continue advancing westward. The RSF is now operating closer to their main bases with tighter supply lines. Neither side seems capable of securing an outright victory. As the war grinds on, it’s the Sudanese people —trapped between bombs, drone strikes, food blockades, and targeted brutality— who continue to suffer most.
Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis: The World’s Largest Emergency
It’s barely in the news, but Sudan is now collapsing before the world’s eyes. Khartoum’s neighborhoods lie in ruins. In the oppressed western Darfur region, entire communities are being annihilated by the RSF. Villages are burning, crops are rotting in the fields, and families are fleeing with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Food, medicine, and safety are all vanishing.
This war is just as much a war on the Sudanese people as it is between rival generals. The RSF is targeting ethnic African minorities for extermination and SAF is blocking aid access to large swaths of the country. War crimes are being committed en masse by both sides. The human toll is staggering:
No one knows the death toll, but 200,000+ people have likely been killed by violence, starvation, and disease outbreaks. This is a conservative estimate based on the very little data that is available and is likely a severe undercount.
A staggering 30 million Sudanese —over half of the entire country— are in need of humanitarian assistance. Over 8.7 million Sudanese have descended into emergency or famine conditions.
Over 14 million people have fled their homes or have left Sudan as refugees.
More than 65% of the country’s main hospitals are closed or destroyed, with the ones still functioning at risk of closure from shortages of medical staff, supplies, safe water, and electricity. Diseases outbreaks are spreading quickly, too.
90% of schools are closed, leaving 19 million children with no classroom to attend.
Maps: The latest famine tracking and projections from The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. (source)
What Are World Leaders Doing to End the War in Sudan?
World leaders have largely turned a blind eye as Sudan burns. A smattering of diplomatic efforts have failed to bring about a lasting ceasefire. International aid is only 27% funded for all of 2025 and the year is almost over, leaving millions of Sudanese facing hunger and disease. Even in refugee camps outside of Sudan, where aid is much easier to deliver, hunger is rampant due to the severe lack of attention.
The recent chaos the Trump Administration has inflicted on USAID —one of the largest providers of lifesaving food relief in Sudan— has resulted in the closure of over 60% of Sudanese-run emergency food kitchens, threatening to push more areas of the country into full-blown famine. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Russia are reportedly making things worse by supplying weapons, mercenaries, and resources to either SAF or RSF, further fueling the violence.
Despite these challenges, ordinary Sudanese are still finding ways to help each other. The international community can and should be doing far more to support Sudanese-led initiatives and prevent a total collapse into failed statehood.
How You Can Help The People of Sudan
Operation Broken Silence is dedicated to Sudanese communities, cultivating resilience and driving meaningful change through crowdfunded programs. In October 2025, our supporters gave $28,751 to Sudanese heroes, including teachers, aid workers, sexual assault counselors, and healthcare professionals. Here’s how you can join us.
Our global event turns everyday runs, bike rides, and walks into lifesaving support. Every dollar you raise helps fund Sudanese heroes who are providing emergency aid, healthcare, and education to their people. We also have an option where you can skip the exercise and just fundraise. And the best part? Donations to your fundraising page will be matched!
Can’t fundraise right now? You can help by making a one-time donation or getting up a small monthly gift.
Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence and mail to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177. You can also donate stock or crypto. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our EIN is 80-0671198. Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law.
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How is this not the biggest story in the world right now? Sudan is collapsing and almost no one is talking about it. Check out this 🔗 to learn what’s happening and how to help. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/sudan-crisis-guide
The world’s largest humanitarian crisis is happening right now in Sudan. It’s not making headlines—but it should be. This helpful guide breaks it down. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/sudan-crisis-guide
Sudan is facing the worst humanitarian emergency on the planet. Mass hunger. War crimes. Millions displaced. The world must pay attention. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/sudan-crisis-guide
Operation Broken Silence is dedicated to Sudanese communities, cultivating resilience and driving meaningful change through crowdfunded programs. Join us. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/sudan-crisis-guide
