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ConflictsSudan

Inside Sudan's brutal war: The warlords and their allies

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Nita Blake-Persen
November 4, 2025

Since April 2023, Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former ally, paramilitary leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, have turned on each other, plunging the nation into a deadly power struggle. Sudan's two-year civil war is believed to have drawn in several global powers — all denying involvement.

Sudan faces the world’s largest humanitarian crisis after more than two years of war between rival forces. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), headed by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, fight for control. Both sides are accused of atrocities, while foreign powers allegedly supply weapons. UN calls for a ceasefire and an arms embargo have failed as the conflict deepens.

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