Eyes on the third Sudanese War

LINDSEY ZARKA
GRAPHIC DESIGNER

GAGE MITCHELL
STAFF WRITER

11/17/2025

The Third Sudanese Civil War began in 2023, overshadowed by the crisis in Gaza and forgotten by much of the international community. Sudan has essentially been at war since even before independence from Britain in Jan 1956. 

Starting in 1955, the First Sudanese Civil War lasted until 1972. The conflict, also known as the Anyanya Rebellion, saw gruesome guerilla warfare, ethnic conflict and the establishment of independence fighters in South Sudan. Over one million people were killed in the fighting. 

Fighting resumed in mass in 1983, lasting until 2005. The Second Sudanese Civil War was fought primarily by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in an effort to break South Sudan away from the central government. The war created mass famine and spread disease, with around two million total deaths. The SPLA broke away in 2011, creating the world’s most recent fully recognized nation, South Sudan. 

The Third Sudanese Civil War began in 2023 following the 2021 military coup. The Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and supported by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a private militant group, ended the country’s transition to civilian rule in 2021. Al-Burhan began the process of integrating the RSF into the country’s national army, the SAF, following the coup. 

The RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), was unwilling to give up autonomy and valuable gold mines to the new government, rebelling in Apr. 2023 after negotiations broke down. 

On Oct. 26, 2025, el-Fashir fell to the RSF. El-Fashir was the last significant stronghold of the SAF in Western Sudan. The Third Sudanese Civil War had been largely ignored by Western media before this event, but the carnage in el-Fashir quickly caught their attention. 

The internet was horrified in the days following the fall of el-Fashir. Millions around the world were shocked to see blood-soaked streets and piles of bodies from space using popular mapping services.

Many killed were largely non-combatants: the elderly, women and children. Total casualties are unknown. The brutality of the RSF killing civilians, primarily of minority ethnic groups, resulted in elevated scrutiny of other regional players.

The RSF has close ties with multiple foreign groups. Most outside influences have denied claims that they are working with the RSF.

Sudan has long faced violent struggle. Despite the hardship, the Sudanese people cling to hope. The horrors of modern war are clear to see in Sudan, and it is unclear when the violence will end. For the people of Sudan, hope comes in the form of media attention. For the first time in their bloodied history, the Sudanese people feel that the world is watching.