Sudan’s Forgotten War
Why decisive U.S. leadership is crucial for finding peace in Sudan
In a world increasingly defined by conflict and crises, it’s very easy to wonder how we got here. After all, just a few years ago, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had not exploded and Russia hadn’t made any formal incursions into Ukraine since 2014. With news channels flooded with updates on the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, one major war has seemingly been forgotten in the international world — the civil war in Sudan.
The conflict dates back to colonial times, escalating following the country’s independence movement from Britain in 1955. Since then, there have been three civil wars in Sudan, the most recent of which started in April 2023. So far, at least 15,000 people have lost their lives. Additionally, eight million people have been internally displaced, and three million have been forced to flee the country entirely, creating the worst refugee crisis in the world.
The current war in Sudan has its roots in the 2019 military coup that removed president Omar al-Bashir, who had been in power since 1989. A transitional, hybrid civilian and military government was then established. In 2021, just two years later, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Sudan’s military led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, arrested civilian members of the government. They did this with help from a powerful paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The leaders of the two military factions then took full control of the Sudanese government over the subsequent months. But this alliance between them didn’t last. In April 2023, fighting broke out between the SAF and the RSF. The two groups are fighting over control of the country, both hoping to position their own leader as the head of Sudan. Since the beginning of the war, Sudanese civilians, especially those from non-Arab minority groups, have suffered enormously.
It is critical that the U.S. properly uses its influence in mitigating human suffering and stopping conflict from spreading in the already unstable Sahel.
As outlined by President Joe Biden in his statement on Sept. 17, the United States is focusing on addressing the humanitarian crisis and ongoing conflict between the SAF and the RSF. This includes calling for peace, urging both factions to cease violence, protecting civilians and allowing unhindered humanitarian access to all areas of Sudan. The United States’ position is an insufficent one. It should take a more active role in preventing arms from flooding into Sudan, and should work to restrict funding to the RSF.
The U.S. has determined that both sides, particularly members of the RSF, have committed war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in the region of Darfur, in western Sudan. Darfur has long been mired in conflict, which escalated in 2003, when two main rebel groups — the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) — separately launched a series of uprisings against the Sudanese government, accusing it of oppressing non-Arab Darfuri communities and neglecting the region. In response, the Sudanese government, under al-Bashir, began a brutal counterinsurgency campaign. It armed and supported Darfuri Arab militia groups known as the Janjaweed. These groups became infamous for committing widespread atrocities, including mass killings, rapes, village burnings and forced displacements of around 2.7 million non-Arab people. The Janjaweed was later integrated as an official Sudanese paramilitary force, and became the RSF.
The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned 16 entities and individuals for contributing to the conflict, and further sanctions are under consideration. The Treasury is also focused on addressing the increasing influence of the Wagner Group, a Russian-funded mercenary group operating in Northern Africa, which Washington views as a means to to inject a Russian military presence into the region.
Biden’s statement criticizes both sides for delaying and disrupting aid delivery and calls for renewed negotiations to end the war. Additionally, the U.S. has provided over $1.6 billion in emergency assistance to Sudan since the conflict began. Efforts are ongoing to secure more humanitarian routes into Darfur and Khartoum.
While these measures are a start, the United States, as the world’s leading economy, should be obligated to enact sanctions and provide more direct aid to the affected population in order to alleviate the pressures faced by the Sudanese people.
Firstly, the shipment of weapons to the RSF needs to be addressed on an international scale. The RSF uses its connections with arms trafficking units that exist in Sudan and neighboring countries to supply its troops. Shipments of fuel and ammunition come through across the border from Chad, Libya and the Central African Republic. However, cutting off shipments would be a large and difficult goal for the U.S to implement, especially considering the current climate in the region. A far more immediate solution would be ending weapons sales to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Recent reports have shown that the UAE has provided significant funding to the RSF effort in the war, worsening the conflict. The Emiratis have invested in acquiring land in Sudan over the past two decades, with a focus on agricultural products as well as Sudan’s gold reserves, which the RSF has significant control over, giving the UAE a reason to support them in the conflict.
SAF troops have reported seeing RSF weapons transports stamped with the address of the UAE’s logistic arm. These include armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and drone technology. The United Nations currently has an arms embargo in place on Sudan, and the UAE’s blatant violation of this embargo should be taken more seriously. In October, the United States gave the UAE as much as $1.2 billion in military support, including GMLRS guided-rocket systems, long-range ATACMS missiles, as well as training and support for both systems. By selling weapons to the UAE, the United States is indirectly supplying the RSF, lengthening the war and funding atrocities.
The hardest hit area of this conflict has been Darfur, the homebase of the RSF. It has been ravaged by continuous fighting and instability. According to the UN Refugee Agency, over 600,000 civilians have fled to neighboring Chad. In September, UN officials called for rapid de-escalation in the region— especially in Northern Darfur. However, meaningful action by any country is yet to be made in a region that has been plagued by constant war, famine and fear for decades. Coordinating with Chad, the Central African Republic and the wider African Union is essential to creating a safe passage for those fleeing violence and will in turn strengthen the unity of the Sahelian states.
The United States and other leading nations should organize a demilitarized zone within fifty kilometers from the border with Chad, calling for all troops to be removed from Darfur, so that aid can be administered and safe migration can be made possible. Current attempts to supply food and medical care have been futile largely thanks to theft from the RSF in particular. The RSF previously looted a warehouse of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Gezira State, containing enough supplies to feed 1.5 million food insecure people for up to a month.
In order to bring peace and stability to war-stricken Sudan, the U.S. needs to adopt a more decisive stance. It must not only address immediate humanitarian needs but also work to restrict funding towards the RSF and focus on a sustainable framework for peace in collaboration. This includes strengthening alliances with the African Union to ensure the enforcement of arms embargoes, expanding humanitarian corridors, and supporting economic recovery for displaced populations. Additionally, withholding funds from foreign actors in Sudan such as the UAE will be critical in preventing future violence.
