SudanKey figures
Who is fighting
Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allies (Port Sudan / Khartoum government)
- Sudanese Armed Forces
- Joint Darfur Forces (SLM-Minnawi, JEM and allies)
- Sudan Shield Forces
- Popular Resistance / mobilised militias
- SPLM-N (Agar faction)
- Egypt
- Turkey (drones, reported)
- Iran (drones, reported)
- Russia (reported)
- Saudi Arabia (reported)
- Eritrea (reported)
Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allies ('Government of Peace and Unity' / Sudan Founding Alliance)
- Rapid Support Forces
- Allied Arab tribal militias
- SPLM-N (al-Hilu faction, allied since 2025)
- Sudan Liberation Movement - Transitional Council
- Colombian mercenaries (reported)
- United Arab Emirates (reported; denied by the UAE)
- Ethiopia (reported since late 2025; denied)
- Libyan National Army / Haftar (reported)
- Chad (alleged transit route; denied)
- Russia / Wagner (until early 2024, reported)
Force sizes are estimates of personnel or fighters, usually from IISS, government statements or specialist reporting; irregular forces are especially hard to count. "(reported)" marks external support that the backer disputes or has not confirmed.
Background
The RSF grew out of the Janjaweed militias used by the Bashir government in the Darfur war that began in 2003. After the 2019 revolution and the 2021 coup, SAF chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ('Hemedti') ruled jointly until a dispute over merging the RSF into the army triggered fighting in Khartoum on 15 April 2023.
The RSF seized most of the capital and, in 2023-2024, four of Darfur's five state capitals, with mass killings of non-Arab Masalit in El Geneina. The SAF counter-attacked from late 2024: it retook Wad Madani (January 2025) and Khartoum (March 2025) and cleared Khartoum State by May 2025. The RSF answered by besieging El Fasher, the last army-held city in Darfur; famine was confirmed in the Zamzam camp in 2024 and in Kadugli in 2025. In February 2025 the RSF and allies, including Abdelaziz al-Hilu's SPLM-N faction, proclaimed a rival government. El Fasher fell on 26 October 2025 amid mass killings that the UN later described as genocidal in intent.
In 2026 the front moved to Kordofan and Blue Nile. The SAF broke the sieges of Kadugli and Dilling in January, recaptured Kurmuk in July and destroyed a large RSF convoy from Libya in August; the RSF took Babanusa and the Heglig oil field in December 2025 and has used long-range drones against El Obeid, Khartoum, Port Sudan, Damazin and eastern cities. Both sides are accused of attacks on civilians, and the RSF of ethnic massacres. External involvement is extensive: Egypt, Turkey and Iran are reported to support the SAF, while the UAE (which denies it), Libya's LNA and, since late 2025, Ethiopia are reported to support the RSF. Drone strikes have hit Chad's border town of Tine.
Diplomacy is stalled. The 'Quad' (US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE) proposed a humanitarian truce and transition roadmap in September 2025; the RSF said it accepted, the army refused, and a renewed US push for a 90-day truce in 2026 was rejected by Burhan, who insists on the RSF's withdrawal and disarmament.
Recent developments
- 18 October 2026Air defences down RSF drones aimed at military sites and dams in Gedaref and Kassala; further drones intercepted over Khartoum the next day. source ↗
- 12 October 2026IPC alert warns of growing famine risk across Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan, driven by conflict, displacement and drought; Tawila hosts more than 650,000 displaced people. source ↗
- 8 October 2026Burhan rejects talks with the RSF and the US-backed 90-day humanitarian ceasefire; SAF advances toward En Nahud and Al Khuway in West Kordofan while IOM reports 5,500 newly displaced in Blue Nile. source ↗
- 18 September 2026ACLED reports the RSF-led Sudan Founding Alliance retaking villages in Kurmuk locality and striking Damazin with drones (11 explosions on 13-14 September), with supply lines reportedly running through Ethiopia. source ↗
- 23 August 2026SAF destroys a ~250-vehicle RSF convoy in northern Kordofan and reports control of 11 villages north of El Obeid. source ↗
- 8 July 2026SAF recaptures Kurmuk in Blue Nile after the town was held by RSF/SPLM-N forces since March; late July: SAF reopens the El Obeid-Omdurman road via Bara. source ↗
- 30 June 2026ACLED records more than 50 drone strikes and over 110 deaths in North Kordofan in June as the RSF masses around Sheikan locality near El Obeid. source ↗
- 4 May 2026RSF drone strike on Abu Alama military base in Khartoum kills at least 24 soldiers; Sudan accuses the UAE and Ethiopia of involvement and recalls its ambassador from Addis Ababa. source ↗
Timeline
- 15 April 2023Fighting erupts in Khartoum between the SAF and the RSF after a dispute over integrating the RSF into the army.
- 15 June 2023RSF and allied militias overrun El Geneina, West Darfur; thousands of Masalit civilians are killed.
- 16 November 2023Darfur's former rebel Joint Forces abandon neutrality and join the army side.
- 1 August 2024The IPC confirms famine in Zamzam camp outside besieged El Fasher.
- 11 January 2025SAF retakes Wad Madani, capital of Gezira State.
- 23 February 2025RSF and allies, including SPLM-N (al-Hilu), sign a charter in Nairobi for a parallel government.
- 26 March 2025SAF recaptures Khartoum airport and the presidential palace; Burhan declares the capital liberated.
- 13 April 2025RSF storms Zamzam camp; hundreds killed, hundreds of thousands flee to Tawila.
- 12 September 2025The Quad (US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE) proposes a three-month humanitarian truce and a nine-month transition.
- 26 October 2025El Fasher falls to the RSF after an 18-month siege; mass killings follow (UN documents at least 6,000 deaths in three days; UCDP/Yale estimate ~60,000).
- 6 November 2025RSF says it accepts the Quad's humanitarian truce; the army rejects it and fighting continues.
- 8 December 2025RSF seizes the Heglig oil field after taking Babanusa; SAF troops withdraw into South Sudan.
- 11 January 2026The army-led government returns to Khartoum; days later the SAF relieves Kadugli and Dilling in South Kordofan.
- 25 January 2026RSF and SPLM-N (al-Hilu) launch a campaign in Blue Nile from the South Sudan border; Kurmuk falls in March.
- 18 March 2026A drone strike attributed to the RSF kills at least 17 civilians in Tine, Chad; Chad closes the border.
- 8 July 2026SAF declares full recapture of Kurmuk; in late July it reopens the El Obeid-Omdurman road.
- 23 August 2026SAF destroys an RSF convoy of about 250 vehicles, cutting a supply route from Libya.
- 8 October 2026Burhan vows to retake 'every inch' of RSF territory and rejects negotiations, sinking a US 90-day truce proposal.
Casualties and displacement in detail
| Measure | Low | High | What the figure covers · source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total killed (cumulative) | 52,904 | 400,000 | Low = ACLED-recorded direct fatalities from April 2023 to June 2026 (52,904, as cited in the UK Home Office CPIN), which ACLED itself calls an undercount and which excludes most of the tens of thousands killed at El Fasher. High = upper end of published estimates (150,000-400,000, CSIS) that include indirect deaths from hunger and disease. A UCDP/PRIO model estimates ~80,000 (73,000-90,000) direct deaths in 2025 alone; LSHTM estimated 61,000 excess deaths in Khartoum State alone to June 2024. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk ↗ |
| Combatants killed | – | – | Neither side publishes losses; no credible independent estimate. allafrica.com ↗ |
| Civilians killed | 18,766 | 75,000 | Low = ACLED civilian fatalities January 2024-June 2026 only (UK CPIN citing ACLED). High = UCDP high estimate of civilians killed during and after the RSF capture of El Fasher (October-December 2025) alone; UCDP's best estimate for that episode is 60,000 and OHCHR documented at least 4,400 killed inside the city and 1,600 while fleeing. ACLED attributed 4,471 civilian deaths to the RSF in 2025. npr.org ↗ |
| Wounded | – | – | No reliable national figure; WHO counted 2,036 killed in 231 attacks on health care by 2026. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Deaths in the last 12 months | 19,000 | 90,000 | Calendar year 2025: ACLED ~19,000 recorded (minimum); UCDP >70,000; modelled best estimate 80,000 (90% range 73,000-90,000). No 2026 year-to-date total has been published; ACLED counted >110 drone-strike deaths in North Kordofan in June 2026 alone. allafrica.com ↗ |
| Internally displaced | 6,409,546 | 8,622,801 | Low = UNHCR operational portal IDP figure (updated October 2026); high = IOM DTM Displacement and Return Snapshot 8 (30 July 2026). IOM recorded a peak of 11.6 million IDPs in January 2025; roughly 4 million people have since returned, mainly to Khartoum and Gezira. dtm.iom.int ↗ |
| Refugees abroad | 3,506,383 | 4,637,854 | Low = refugees and asylum-seekers from Sudan (Wikipedia infobox citing UNHCR); high = UNHCR count of all new arrivals in neighbouring countries since April 2023 including ~942,000 returning refugees (portal, October 2026). UNHCR puts total forcibly displaced inside and outside Sudan at ~11.3 million (5 October 2026); the UN cites 'more than 14 million' including those who have since returned. data.unhcr.org ↗ |
Intensity classification: Calendar 2025: ACLED recorded ~19,000 direct deaths (a conservative minimum); UCDP recorded >70,000 (>=60,000 civilians killed in one-sided violence, mostly at El Fasher, plus >10,000 battle deaths); a UCDP/PRIO model puts the most likely 2025 toll near 80,000 (73,000-90,000). All sources agree the war is far above the 10,000-deaths threshold..
Countries affected
Frequently asked questions
Who is fighting in the Sudan civil war (SAF vs RSF)?
Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allies (Port Sudan / Khartoum government) (Sudanese Armed Forces, Joint Darfur Forces (SLM-Minnawi, JEM and allies), Sudan Shield Forces, Popular Resistance / mobilised militias, …), supported by Egypt, Turkey (drones, reported), Iran (drones, reported), Russia (reported); against Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allies ('Government of Peace and Unity' / Sudan Founding Alliance) (Rapid Support Forces, Allied Arab tribal militias, SPLM-N (al-Hilu faction, allied since 2025), Sudan Liberation Movement - Transitional Council, …), supported by United Arab Emirates (reported; denied by the UAE), Ethiopia (reported since late 2025; denied), Libyan National Army / Haftar (reported), Chad (alleged transit route; denied).
How many people have been killed?
Estimates range from 52,904–400,000 killed as of 18 October 2026. Low = ACLED-recorded direct fatalities from April 2023 to June 2026 (52,904, as cited in the UK Home Office CPIN), which ACLED itself calls an undercount and which excludes most of the tens of thousands killed at El Fasher. High = upper end of published estimates (150,000-400,000, CSIS) that include indirect deaths from hunger and disease. A UCDP/PRIO model estimates ~80,000 (73,000-90,000) direct deaths in 2025 alone; LSHTM estimated 61,000 excess deaths in Khartoum State alone to June 2024. Civilian deaths are put at 18,766–75,000. Figures come from the sources listed on this page and differ in method; see the caveats above.
Is the Sudan civil war (SAF vs RSF) still ongoing in 2026?
Status as of 19 October 2026: Active fighting — A war between Sudan's regular army (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that began in Khartoum in April 2023 and has produced the world's largest displacement crisis. In October 2026 the SAF holds Khartoum and the east and is pushing west through Kordofan, while the RSF and its 'Government of Peace and Unity' control most of Darfur and parts of Kordofan; fighting is dominated by drone strikes, a secondary front has opened in Blue Nile, famine risk is rising again in Darfur and Kordofan, and army chief Burhan rejected a US-proposed 90-day humanitarian truce on 8 October 2026.
When did it start?
The current phase began on 15 April 2023, but the underlying conflict dates back to 2003 — 3 years, 6 months ago.
Sources
- UCDP — Sudan ucdp.uu.se
- ACLED — Why has Blue Nile become a new flashpoint (Sept 2026) acleddata.com
- UNHCR — Sudan situation data portal data.unhcr.org
- IOM DTM — Sudan dtm.iom.int
- Vesco et al. — Sudan's 2025 death toll could be as high as 100,000 allafrica.com
- Crisis Group — Divided Sudan, Elusive Peace crisisgroup.org
- CFR Global Conflict Tracker — Sudan cfr.org
- Wikipedia — Sudanese civil war (2023–present) en.wikipedia.org
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