April 15, 2023 conflict broke out in the capital city of Sudan between the country’s army and the paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The leader of Sudan’s army, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and RSF General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known by his nickname Hemedti, are the two men behind the power struggle. 

The conflict has been estimated to have already killed hundreds, with the United States and Great Britain launching military operations to evacuate diplomatic staff and civilians. Many Sudanese nationals have attempted to flee the conflict ridden nations, with hundreds traveling across the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia. 

To truly understand the conflict and its underlying causes, an analysis of the origins of the dispute is required. It goes back decades to a man named Omar al-Bashir, the brutal dictator of Sudan who ruled for 30 years.

al-Bashir led a bloodless-coup in 1989, taking over control of Sudan and establishing a one party state with him at the helm as Sudan’s self-declared President. al-Bahir ruled as a ruthless and oppressive dictator until his government was overthrown in 2018 amidst nationwide protests. 

Initially, there was hope that the Sudanese military and civilian groups would be able to coexist and govern jointly, but these hopes were crushed when the civilian government was overthrown in 2021 after a series of coup attempts. The people of Sudan are likely to continue to advocate for a peaceful democratic state, but it is unlikely that any semblance of liberal democracy will come to a nation that continues to be consumed by large scale violence.