A nation which has been war-torn and ravaged for decades has become one of the most complex and devastating current conflicts in Africa.

But why has Sudan not received a fraction of the attention to similar situations in Gaza and Ukraine?

Who, what, when, where, why?

In mid-April 2023, fighting broke out in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, amidst an escalating power struggle between the two factions of the military regime. The Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF and the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.

On one side are the SAF, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who has become the country’s de-facto leader. Against him are the paramilitaries of the RSF, a collection of militia who follow the former warlord General Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedeti” Dagalo.

The current political power struggle can be traced back to 2019 when the RSF and Sudanese military forces co-operated in a coup to oust the authoritarian leader Omar al-Bashir from power. 

However, the attempts to then transition to a democratic civilian-led government faltered and the face-off between Burhan and Hemediti began. 

Professor Michael Humphrey, sociology and social policy professor at the University of Sydney told Central News: “The crisis really emerges from the failure to consolidate democratic transition with the coup against Bashir.

“But that has gone astray. Mainly because the divisions between the rapid support forces and the Armed Forces, have never been resolved because there’s internal competition, it led to subsequent coups, and has just kept piling on.

“The army and the Special Forces are headed by Hamdan and al-Burhan, two generals who were actually allies when the coup happened in 2019 and now are basically fighting each other for control of the state.

“The problem that’s been faced by every single initiative to try to bring about an end to the conflict is that neither of them believe they’re defeated, and they think they can win.”

The cost of war

The conflict has placed Sudan in the midst of a “humanitarian nightmare”, according to United Nation officials.

As the war wages on, the United Nations estimates that thousands of people have been killed since the beginning of the war, 8 million have been displaced, and a further 2 million have fled the country while those that remain are now suffering from acute hunger. 

A lack of funding and international aid means that those people suffering from acute hunger are currently receiving no assistance from the UN’s World Food Programme. 

Civilians continue to pay the price of war, with the RSF burning, looting and destroying civilian housing across Sudan. Similar to the situation in Gaza, the RSF have been firing at hospitals, rendering at least 80 per cent of health facilities unusable.

The lack of clean drinking water and deteriorating sanitation facilities has created a “perfect storm” of disease to hamper the already war-stricken civilians, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said. 

Politicians and power brokers seek support and kind of to try to enhance their power through alliances with outside supporters or patrons. That’s happened, and that’s created a major problem in bringing an end to the conflict.

There is mounting pressure on Sudan’s neighbours Chad and South Sudan to help civilians who have been displaced, but funding is also required in these regions with Chad and South Sudan affected by their own political upheavals. 

However, there are amplifying tensions geopolitically, with Russia, the US, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and most recently, Iran, battling for influence in Sudan.  

“In Iran, Russia, they have an interest in establishing some kind of influence, if not bases or ports along that coast. I mean, as you’ve seen with the role of the Hamdan in kind of disrupting the transit of ships to the Suez Canal, that’s been really a major disruption,” said Professor Michael Humphrey. 

“It is a conflict which unfortunately, is the story of crises of nation states in general, but especially in the Middle East, that politicians and power brokers seek support and kind of to try to enhance their power through alliances with outside supporters or patrons. That’s happened, and that’s created a major problem in bringing an end to the conflict.”

What chance for peace?

Global humanitarian groups are struggling to gather aid and assistance where it is required across Sudan.

The World Food Program stated that it has provided support to at least 6.7 million people throughout the conflict, but its trucks have also been barred from travel, hijacked and looted by armed groups. 

Other international healthcare organisations have been hampered by the large extent of the conflict, with critical aid channels in Chad, being broken down. 

But this is not the only reason. 

Some experts point to racism and geopolitical reasons as to why Western countries have been slow to respond to Sudan’s urgent calls for help. 

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesius called out the world’s “really low” attention on the issue, further suggesting race was a factor. 

Since mediation efforts began in 2023, led by the US, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, all attempts have been unsuccessful. 

Recent talks were hosted by Switzerland in August 2024 and attended by the United Nations, African Union and the East African Trade block. 

They were also unsuccessful. 

But Professor Humphrey said Sudan could emerge eventually with a more democratic political system. 

“Sudan has always been a popular support for democratic movements and democratic government,” he said. “Unfortunately, it has been too often eclipsed by military coups.

“But it’s important to think of it as an attempt to transition from an authoritarian to a democratic government, the ways in which that’s been sabotaged, and the kind of problematic responses of the international community.”

Main photo by United Nations/Flickr.