Updates on the situation in Sudan
Sudan’s civil war which started in 2023 continues still with no end in sight. The country which is the third largest in Africa spans across approximately 1.9 million square kilometers and has a population of 51.7 million people. The country has an agriculture based economy with a growing gold mining sector.
Existing tensions between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) about the control over different parts of the country rose further in 2019 after the fall of dictator Omar al-Bashir eventually leading to a civil war between the SAF and the RSF in 2023. The war and humanitarian crisis in Sudan has continued for over three years now. The Carillon previous report on the situation can be found here and the conditions have only gotten worse since.
Who controls what?
Sudan is strategically vital for many countries. It is a bridge between the Middle East and Africa as it controls over 500 miles of Red Sea Coast, it is also a significant agricultural value and abundant gold deposits and is one of largest producers of gum arabic.
RSF took over the western region of Darfur on Oct. 26, 2025 by capturing el-Fasher, the capital of northern Darfur state, after besieging it for almost 18 months. The SAF has power over most of the north and the east, including Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, various cities along the Nile, and Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
Sudan being a major exporter of oil, gold, and agricultural products, these resources are roughly divided between RSF and SAF.
Sudan’s case against UAE
In March 2025, Sudan filed a case against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), with accusations of supporting RSF in this civil war.
According to a report by BBC, Sudan argued that the UAE is “complicit in the genocide” of the Masalit community in West Darfur, through its military, financial, and political backing for the RSF.
However, in May 2025, the ICJ dismissed Sudan’s allegations against the UAE, as UAE argued the court had no jurisdiction. ICJ does not inherently lack jurisdiction in Sudan. UAE’s claim was able to stand in the court because of a technical loophole which UAE used in its favour.
When UAE joined the United Nations’ (UN) Genocide Convention on 2005, it opted out of ArticleI IX which allows states to bring cases of genocide against each other. As such, when Sudan brought the case to ICJ about UAE’s complicitness in genocide in Sudan, ICJ dismissed it due to lack of jurisdiction.
A report released by the United Nations (UN) in April 2025 documented that tens and thousands of people have been killed between the fighting of SAF and RSF. 12.7 million Sudanese people were forcefully displaced, 25 million are facing extreme levels of hunger- including about five million children and mothers suffering from acute malnutrition.”
Largest humanitarian crisis
People of Sudan have been exposed to famine, sexual violence, and displacement as the result of power struggle between SAF and RSF.
A report released by the United Nations (UN) in April 2025 documented tens and thousands of people have been killed between the fighting of SAF and RSF. 12.4 million Sudanese people were forcefully displaced, 25 million are facing extreme levels of hunger- including about five million children and mothers suffering acute malnutrition.
According to a report by Al-Jazeera, the United Nations Human Rights Office in Sudan says that “brutal attacks” are escalating in el-Fasher after RSF seized the city in the western region of Darfur. “It has become a city engulfed with grief,” said Li Fung, the UN’s human rights representative in Sudan, in a video published on X in early November.
Hundreds of people tried fleeing el-Fasher after 18 months of siege, but many were killed on their way. Adam Rojal, the spokesperson for Sudan’s internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugee camps aid groups, told the Associated Press (AP) that more than 16,000 people reached Tawila, North Darfur, and were in desperate need of food, medicine, shelter, and psychological support. A report in Al-Jazeera mentioned that “sexual violence is being used systematically to punish, to terrorise, and to destroy.”
Ethnic violence is at an all time high according to a displaced person’s comment to Al-Jazeera. The person who remained anonymous said that he is at the risk of being killed as his tribe can be easily guessed looking at his skin colour.
Peace making attempts
A joint peace attempt was made by the United States (US), Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in September 2025, but was unsuccessful.
On November 19, 2025, US President, Donald Trump, said that he will push for peace attempts in Sudan after the request of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince. More news on the situation to unfold in the coming weeks.
