It’s been more than a year since the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary force headed by Mohamed Hamdan “Hemeti” Dagalom, erupted in April 2023. A conflict with a complicated history, both sides are carrying out airstrikes and artillery bombardments in densely populated areas, leading to displacement, hunger, injuries, death and one of the largest humanitarian crises worldwide.
As the challenges in Sudan continue to exacerbate, and with 9 million displaced and 25 million Sudanese people facing extreme food insecurity, human rights activists are advocating for an urgent need to provide more support to address the crisis.
In recent weeks, fighting has intensified in the capital city of North Darfur, el-Fasher, where the RSF has been specifically attacking non-Arab populations.
“We don’t have to imagine or predict what will happen if the conflict in el-Fasher continues,” said Nathaniel Raymond, the executive director of the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (YHRL), which has been working since the beginning of the conflict in Sudan to document the impact of the war on civilians.
“To put it into context, the population of el-Fasher is only 100,000 people less than Brooklyn, New York, which has an estimated population of nearly 2.7 million. It is 800,000 more people than those currently living in Gaza. The people living there are also the survivors of the 2003-2004 genocide and are primarily Zaghawa, Fur, and Masalit people,” Raymond explained.
A Human Rights Watch report revealed ethnic cleansing by the RSF against Masalit and other non-Arab populations in Darfur. Actions include mass killings, village burnings, and rape, forcing over half a million to flee to Chad.
So far, the YHRL has identified over 40 communities that have been burned to the ground by the RSF around el-Fasher since March of 2024.
“If el-Fasher falls, this community of non-Arab civilians is at significant risk for violence as a result of deprivation due to lack of humanitarian aid, being caught in the crossfire between RSF and SAF, or targeted ethnic killings,” Raymond added.
Arab, Non-Arab Relations in Sudan Leading to the War
The Republic of Sudan, located in northeast Africa, was once the largest country on the continent before the independence of the Republic of South Sudan in 2011.
Today, the country’s population is well over 49.4 million people. Due to its geographic location, Sudan has had a long history intertwined with the nearby Arabian Peninsula, dating back to the seventh century.
When Arabs first began arriving in the region, they referred to it as “Bilad al-Sudan,” translated in Arabic to mean “land of the Blacks.”
“Arabs and non-Arabs have historically lived peacefully in Darfur, until the 1980s when powerful elites began exploiting and politicizing local tensions,” said Nasredeen Abdulbari, former Sudanese Minister of Justice.
These tensions, once resolved through the native administration, arose over disputes regarding access to natural resources and land.
On April 15, 2023, fighting erupted in the capital city of Khartoum between the SAF and RSF. Both sides have access to heavy weaponry, with support from foreign entities such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.
Humanitarian Aid Thus Far and Why More Is Needed
As the two sides receive support to fight, others are advocating that the people of Sudan get more aid to live.
More than 6 million people are internally displaced in Sudan, while another 2 million are now in border countries around Sudan, including Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.
Women and children bear the brunt of this displacement and are at an increased risk for violence.
With limited access to international humanitarian aid due to the suppression of its delivery by both the RSF and SAF, local groups have organized to form Sudan Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), a form of mutual aid funded by the local community and the diaspora to provide food, health, and other urgent services. These youth-driven ERR groups have led the pathway for community resilience and recovery.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) also recently announced a $315 million aid package to support Sudan. This humanitarian assistance includes food aid, malnutrition screening, treatment for young children, safe drinking water, and emergency health care.
To date, the U.S. government has reportedly authorized over $1.4 billion in humanitarian assistance to Sudan since October 2022.
Despite the current efforts, some advocates are working to ensure the Biden-Harris administration is making Sudan a priority, in the same way that Gaza and Ukraine are.
Further, the United Nations announced the Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan, with a $2.7 billion funding goal to support the crisis in Sudan; but, only 16.3% of the intended U.N. support has been reached.
In order to truly address the crisis, there is more work to be done.
“More assistance needs to be given to organizations in border countries like Chad, Egypt, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Sudanese refugees in neighboring countries need assistance just as much as those in Sudan. They also need greater protection and enforcement of international law,” Abdulbari explained.
Nonetheless, aid groups have advocated for more support and engagement from the U.S. government, particularly calling on American leaders to add greater pressure to end the war between the two warring parties.
On April 15, 2024, to signify the anniversary of the war, several groups organized the United for Sudan rally in Washington, D.C., to demand action and show solidarity with the people of Sudan. Despite slow action, with recent news of the human rights violations occurring in Darfur, the United States imposed sanctions against two commanders of Sudan’s paramilitary RSF.
Statistics show the worsening crisis in Sudan demands an immediate and resolute response.
“Member states must ensure the necessary resourcing and full political backing for the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan and keep human rights in Sudan high on the agenda of the U.N. Human Rights Council and other U.S. bodies,” said Omayma Gutabi, executive director of Sudan Democracy First Group.