Sudan: conflict

On 15 April 2023, a violent power struggle broke out in Sudan’s capital of Khartoum between the two main factions of the ruling military regime: the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which acts as the official Sudanese army, and a rival paramilitary force, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). As at 18 April, at least 200 people were dead, and 1,800 were injured. The violence broke out as a result of rising tensions between Sudan’s most powerful generals. These generals jointly staged a coup d’état in October 2021; in 2019, the RSF, which comprised former militias from the Darfur war (from 2003–2020), joined forces with the Sudanese army to overthrow Sudan’s long-time leader, Omar al-Bashir, leading to a civilian-military power-sharing government.