Sudan's Civil War Deepens as SAF and RSF Battle, Spurring Parallel Governance and Humanitarian Crisis

Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). The conflict, initially a power struggle over integrating the RSF into the national army, quickly expanded into nationwide fighting.

The war has devastated urban areas, halted public services, and triggered one of Africa's largest humanitarian emergencies, displacing millions and curtailing access to food, medicine, electricity and water. Economic activity and critical infrastructure have been severely damaged.

Beyond battlefield battles, the RSF‑controlled territories have begun establishing parallel state structures, including a Security and Defense Council, a governor for a central‑bank branch, and their own education and public‑service arrangements, signalling an attempt to create alternative governance.

Sudan's strategic location linking North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Central Africa and the Red Sea makes the conflict relevant to regional security and international trade routes, prompting close monitoring by neighboring states and global powers.