Sudan faces territorial partition and political deadlock amid ongoing civil war

Sudan is facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis and political deadlock as the civil war between rival military leaders enters its thousandth day. The conflict, pitting General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of the Sudanese Armed Forces against General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo of the Rapid Support Forces, has displaced millions and left approximately 24.5 million people facing acute hunger.

The warring factions are effectively partitioning the country into zones of influence. General al-Burhan maintains control over the East and Central regions, while General Daglo has established dominance in Darfur and South Kordofan. Reports from Darfur, particularly around El-Fasher, highlight severe violence, including mass executions and sexual violence.

Compounding the violence is a political struggle over the nation's future governance. Sudanese army chief of staff Yasser al-Atta has proposed a model where military authority remains supreme over elected institutions for several electoral cycles. This vision suggests that General al-Burhan would remain head of state until political parties are deemed sufficiently strong, a proposal critics argue is an attempt to preserve military and Islamist influence while blocking a true civilian democratic transition.