The Sudan conflict erupted in April 2023 as fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — a paramilitary group led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ("Hemeti"). What began as a power struggle between two rival military factions has become one of the world's worst humanitarian catastrophes.
The Sudan conflict erupted in April 2023 as fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — a paramilitary group led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ("Hemeti"). What began as a power struggle between two rival military factions has become one of the world's worst humanitarian catastrophes.
The RSF has advanced across Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan, with the SAF maintaining control of parts of the north and east. Both sides have been documented committing serious violations of international humanitarian law, including attacks on civilians, sexual violence, and obstruction of humanitarian access.
As of March 2026, over 8.2 million people have been internally displaced — making Sudan the world's largest active internal displacement crisis. A further 1.9 million have fled to neighbouring Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan. Famine conditions have been confirmed in multiple regions.