Sudan Country Background

This page is meant to provide an overview of Sudan as a nation state, including a broad timeline of key historical events. It includes events relevant to the current conflict and mentions the critical domestic, regional, and international players working towards peace.

(Source: BBC News, Sudan: Country Profile, Sept. 13, 2023)

PILPG Podcast Series covering Sudan’s history through the lens of Peace Negotiations:

Current Conflict Context

Sudanese stakeholders had been on the verge of finalizing a political agreement that was designed to put an end to the political instability the country had been experiencing since the military takeover on October 25, 2021.  Regrettably, the full-fledged eruption of the armed conflict between the SAF and the RSF in April 2023 has halted the ambitious political process facilitated by the Trilateral Mechanism and closely encouraged and supported by the Quad Mechanism (composed of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates).  

Concluding phase I of the political process, civilian and military stakeholders signed the Political Framework Agreement in December 2022.  The signing of this agreement was a significant step towards redirecting the country on a path of democracy and civilian rule. The second and final phase of the political process was meant to resolve five contentious issues that civilians and the military establishment did not agree on.  Five workshops were conducted to tackle these suspended issues, including justice and transitional justice; dismantling the former regime of June 30, 1989; the Juba Peace Agreement; the case of East Sudan; and security sector reform.  Representatives from the SAF, the RSF, the Intelligence Services, and the Police Forces presented papers in the security sector reform workshop.  Differences in vision and the respective positions of the RSF and other forces, particularly the SAF, regarding the reform issues were clearly deeply ingrained.  While all parties accepted the strategic goal of forming one national professional army, disagreement arose between the SAF and the RSF on the timeline of the integration of the RSF into the SAF, as well as on the command and control of the forces before this process was completed.  Observers believe that the disagreement between the SAF and the RSF was not based on mere technical differences, but rather was deeply rooted in far-reaching political goals and strategies.

The tensions between the two armed forces intensified rapidly. Considerable national and international efforts were undertaken to defuse the deadly tension. Mediation mechanisms established by civilian signatories to the Framework Agreement, the JPA signatories, the Trilateral Mechanism, and the Quad Mechanism all failed to prevent the deadly fighting that broke out between the SAF and the RSF in the early morning of April 15, 2023.  A full-fledged armed conflict quickly engulfed greater Khartoum, Merowe, Darfur, and North Kordofan.

During April, al-Burhan dissolved the RSF, calling it a “rebel force.”  Conversely, Hemedti, the RSF Commander, called on al-Burhan to surrender or be captured or killed.  The RSF stated that its war against the SAF was in reality a fight against former regime Islamists who had hijacked the army.  Many prisons throughout the country were attacked and thousands of inmates, including prominent Islamist hardliners, were released.  Foreign diplomatic missions rushed to evacuate personnel and nationals.  The fighting quickly spread to West Darfur, where Al-Geneina, the state capital, became a battleground of a bloody tribal conflict between armed Masalit tribesmen, the RSF, and Rizeigat militant tribesmen allied to the RSF. 

The outbreak of fighting between the SAF and the RSF has led to a dramatic deterioration in all aspects of civilian life, including attacks on civilian objects.  Intensive military operations inside urban areas have resulted in gross human rights and international humanitarian law violations.  Civilian infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, shops, schools, and places of worship, have been indiscriminately targeted and destroyed by artillery and airstrikes.  The fighting has also resulted in the closure of businesses, airports, and roads, which has interrupted the movements of goods, services, and people.  It has also triggered acute shortages of food, water, medicines, and fuel and limited access to communications and electricity.  Most healthcare facilities are closed or operate at a significantly reduced capacity.  The chaotic security situation has enabled the looting of homes and markets, sexual gender-based violence, carjackings, and vehicle theft.  The Masalit ethnic group in West Darfur is once more at serious risk of genocide, and many commentators fear that the intractable nature of the conflict and the development of conflict dynamics are leading Sudan into a situation analogous to that of Somalia. 

Internal Politics

Regional & International Peace Efforts

Jeddah Talks

Talks between the SAF and the RSF, facilitated by the US and Saudi Arabia, culminated in the two parties signing the May 11 “Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan.”  However, both parties violated all successive declared humanitarian ceasefires.  The Jeddah forum has not yet achieved notable progress despite the facilitators’ affirmed commitment to end the conflict.  The SAF delegation to the Jeddah talks returned to Sudan on July 26, 2023.  While the two warring parties achieved some consensus regarding the general principles for negotiation and a monitoring and verification mechanism, the SAF delegation pulled out due to other critical points of disagreement with the RSF.  Sudan’s Foreign Minister told Sudan’s official news agency (“SUNA”) that negotiations would not resume unless the RSF declared their “commitment to evacuating public facilities, vacating citizens’ homes, and ceasing activities such as looting, road blockades, and disruptions to people’s lives.”

International and Regional Actors