 On April 15th, Khartoum awoke to an eruption of violence in some of the city’s most populated areas. Gunshots and explosions were heard by civilians around the city, marking the beginning of a prevailing conflict. Now, more than 10 months after the start of the conflict, the enduring humanitarian effects have been devastating for the Sudanese population. The UN called the situation an “unimaginable humanitarian crisis,” an apt description for the consistent rise of displacement both within the country and into neighboring ones.
How did the conflict begin? Sudan’s recent political history has been tumultuous. In 2019, after months of protests against the regime, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir was ousted through a military coup. Al-Bashir had led a bloodless military coup in 1989 which subsequently secured his position as president in 1993. His 30 year-long term was marked by regional conflicts predominantly in West Darfur and the separation of South Sudan in 2011. The loss of South Sudan was a deep blow to the country’s economy which led to the 2018 protests over the increasing price of bread. By 2019, civilians all over the country demanded the expulsion of al-Bashir from power, which led to an insurgency by the military. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) cooperated in the ousting of al-Bashir. Shortly after the coup, a sovereign council was implemented comprising of 5 military members and 5 civilians. General al-Burhan was appointed head of the sovereign council, while General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo was also elected into the council. These new positions within the council facilitated their seizing of power in 2021. The sovereign council had been designed to exist for 36 months, by which time the country was expected to transition into a civilian government. Instead, al-Burhan and Dagalo seized power through their military and paramilitary strengths placing them as de facto president and vice-president respectively. Following these changes, the new government struggled to prove its legitimacy to rule. The main obstacle to its legitimacy was the existence of an independent paramilitary group that was not directly controlled by the national army. Additionally, the RSF impeded the democratic transitional plan by repeatedly stalling negotiations over military integration. Tensions between the two generals began to rise over this issue, ultimately culminating in the eruption of violence in Khartoum during Ramadan. What other actors are involved? The Arab League nations and the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) states are all invested in securing stability in Sudan; however, their support efforts have varied greatly. For instance, the United Arab Emirates has long held interest in accessing the Red Sea with their efforts resulting in the initial development of the Abu Amama port 200km north of Port Sudan. The UAE has had a substantial presence both in the border, to secure humanitarian aid, and through diplomatic talks in hopes of deescalating the conflict. A New York Times investigation revealed armament and aid being sent from the UAE to the RSF; however, the former did not make an official statement on this relationship. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia has been a strong supporter of the SAF by hosting ceasefire talks in Jeddah. Both UAE and Saudi Arabia have an interest in Sudan’s access to the Red Sea given the global importance of these trade routes which also provides food security for the region. Another country attempting to help stabilize the region is Egypt. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi received General al-Burhan to the country’s capital where they spoke broadly about the conflict. However, the president did not extend this invitation to General Dagalo of the Rapid Support Forces. Egypt’s shared southern border with Sudan places them in a precarious position regarding the transportation of humanitarian aid and the heightened need for reception of refugees. What have been the effects on the population? The conflict has claimed more than 14,600 lives, and many hundreds of thousands more have been displaced. However, Reuters investigations have revealed attacks in the Darfur region with high death tolls, leading many to suspect that official figures of casualties are an underestimation. Concurrently, Sudan has been a host to numerous refugees and asylum seekers from South Sudan, Congo, and many other neighboring countries, which has exacerbated the crisis by forcing refugees to once again resettle. Furthermore, the number of internally displaced people has been steadily rising since April, and the number of people seeking asylum outside the country’s borders have raised concern over neighboring states’ capacity to accept such high numbers of refugees. Conditions have already deteriorated as the arrival of the rainy season brought multitudes of diseases. Many previously controlled illnesses such as Malaria and Measles have become big threats both in refugee camps outside of Sudan and within the country. There have been numerous reports of Cholera outbreaks in the past few months. Simultaneously, the few operational hospitals will soon be unable to tend to patients due to a medical shortage. How have neighboring countries responded? A humanitarian corridor was established by the World Food Programme and the Egyptian foreign ministry on June 16th between Aswan, Egypt and Wadi, Sudan. The corridor has allowed humanitarian agencies to deliver aid and assistance. Despite this, the situation remains dire with no additional humanitarian corridors established to meet the needs of a growing displaced population. Thus far, Chad has taken in the highest number of refugees, with over 700,000 refugees travelling across its border with Sudan. Their journeys reveal the horrific conditions the war has created and bring to light allegations of a genocide in West Darfur. In Darfur, men of all ages belonging to the Masalit ethnic group are being killed indiscriminately by the RSF who have gained significant ground in the area. Inevitably, this has led to many wounded people, predominantly women and children, crossing the border into a country whose healthcare capabilities are already at a limit. In an interview with the BBC, healthcare workers stationed in refugee camps stated that they cannot meet current needs with the lack of resources coming from humanitarian agencies. At the same time, Egypt has received around 310,000 refugees, South Sudan has received more than 450,000 refugees, Ethiopia has received around 91,500 refugees, and Central African Republic has received around 17,000 refugees. However, even with the efforts of neighboring countries, the journey outside of Sudan remains deadly with healthcare workers reporting alarming rates of heightened gender-based violence faced by the majority female refugees. The UN has reported that only one-third of the humanitarian aid needed has been met, and with Sudan’s infrastructure collapsing after more than eight months of conflict, the fears of famine are greater than ever. Paulina Orrantia is the Director of the Human Rights and Development section. She is currently a fourth year in the department of Political Science and English at the University of Washington.
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