What Happened?
STEVENS POINT, Wisconsin – On April 15, 2023, a civil war between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) broke out after the southern parts of Sudan felt marginalized and discriminated against by the central government.
Background
The RSF was formed in 2013 as a paramilitary group by the Sudanese government, but they soon became so powerful that they were strong enough to rebel against the SAF. The RSF is composed of mostly Arab soldiers and evolved from the Janjaweed, a militia group which became known as the RSF in 2013. The RSF promotes Sudanese Arab supremacy and anti-black agendas that are extremely harmful to the Sudanese people. The SAF consists of an Army, Navy, and Air Force and they are the main enemies of the RSF. Since April 15, 2023, over 30 million people have been displaced due to the war. It’s hard to believe that this many people have lost their home, family members and livelihood in just two and a half years. The war has also been littered with war crimes and some claim that there is an active genocide going in Sudan.
Sudan’s Situation
The Sudanese Civil War has been gaining more attention as of this past month as soldiers from the RSF have been seen posting videos and photos of their killings online. They don’t show any remorse in the videos and see the civilians as less than human. According to the International Rescue Committee, Sudan has topped the list for the highest risk country in the world for a second year in a row. (IRC). On top of the ongoing civil war, Sudan is currently experiencing two famines which limits food supply to civilians who are already fighting to survive the war. The combination of the famines and the ruthless military groups has led to the deaths of over 300,000 people.
The Darfur Genocide (2003-2005)
Satellite images of potential mass graves have been spreading like wildfire across social media platforms such as Tik Tok, Instagram and Twitter. These images aren’t confirmed to be showing dead bodies, but there is an alarming amount of images that show similar scenes. If there wasn’t already suspicion of a genocide taking place in Sudan, there most definitely is now. From 2003 to 2005, something very similar occurred in Sudan. The Darfur Genocide took place, taking the lives of over 200,000 people and affecting over three million. (NPR). The rise of Arab nationalism became a huge problem for the people of Sudan and one of the militia groups that carried out mass killings was the Janjaweed, now known today as the RSF. Today, the RSF is doing exactly what they were doing 20 years ago in Sudan. How can we let them get away with this for a second time?
Attacks
Sudan’s capitol, Khartoum, has fallen victim to attacks within the past month as explosions have been heard there even after the RSF promised to the US to make efforts to end the war. (CBS). The US has been trying to negotiate a ceasefire with the RSF since the beginning of the war, and this is one of many times that a ceasefire deal hasn’t worked out. Khartoum had been relatively calm up until the recent attacks and unfortunately, civilian sites were targeted along with military sites. Sadly, it’s a very common occurrence for civilian sites and even hospitals to fall victim to attacks from the RSF. According to CBS News, “…the Sudan Doctors’ Union said that the RSF shelled a hospital in the besieged city of Dilling in South Kordofan on Thursday morning, causing several injuries, some critical.” (CBS). During the war, the Sudan Doctors’ Union has provided aid to many injured people and keeps count of deaths and injuries amidst the conflict. Many doctors have been killed, tortured, and kidnapped by the RSF and SAF which makes civilians even more vulnerable.
el-Fasher
El- Fasher was another city that was subjected to many bombings and attacks from the RSF. After the fall of el-Fasher, the RSF went into the last hospital left and killed or abducted around 460 workers and patients. (Brookings). Due to this deliberate targeting of doctors and civilians, many people have accused the RSF and SAF of genocide upon the people of Sudan. If this is the case, there needs to be more immediate action taken to put an end to this. According to CBS News, “The entire war has been marked by allegations of severe human rights violations and war crimes, with the Biden administration accusing the RSF just before President Trump took office of committing genocide.” (CBS). President Trump took office over a year ago and has made little efforts, if any at all, in letting in refugees or funding foreign aid policies. Starting in 2026, the US refugee cap is a shockingly low 7,500. This number is over 13 times less than the amount of refugees allowed into the US in 2024 at 100,034 people.
Ceasefire Negotiations
Ceasefires have been discussed between the RSF and SAF, but it’s going to take a lot of effort to actually put one in place that sticks. Just a week and a half ago, Sudan’s top general rejected a ceasefire proposal from the United States. (Associated Press). According to Jeffrey Feltman, a writer at Brookings, “The Americans have well-intentioned ceasefire goals that the Sudanese desperately need to succeed.” (Feltman). The specific goals in the ceasefire deals is to put a stop to the war, even if it is temporary, in order to give humanitarian aid to the civilians in Sudan. This gives some hope to people around the world that Sudan can be saved from the war.
How Can We Help?
In the end, terror caused by the RSF and SAF has no place in our world and there needs to be a stop to the violence and atrocities going on in Sudan. As Americans, we shouldn’t let this issue go unnoticed and one way to help spread awareness is to post on social media about it. Even a simple repost of a story on Sudan could go a long way in helping the war in Sudan get closer to a ceasefire. As long as you get your information from a truthful and credible source, a repost can spread to your followers and beyond if they spread the news. We can’t keep ignoring this any longer.
