On January 1, 2026, the large northeastern African country, Sudan, reached its 70th birthday; 43 years out of 70 have been filled with bloodshed and continuous war. Starting in 1955, then again in ‘83, and commencing for a third time in 2023 to the present day. The country has struggled with power, religion, and race for a very long time.
Sudan gained its independence in 1956. At the time, Sudan had over 600 different ethnic groups.
The northern part of Sudan was, and still is, a very heavily populated Muslim area with strong African and Arab ethnicities. The southern part of Sudan, now its own country known as South Sudan, was home to many Christians and Animists who were majority African.
From 1983 to 2005, the country had its longest, deadliest civil war and genocide. Throughout the 22 years, four major events kept the conflict ongoing.
“Stage 1: Rise of Islamic Extremism and Sudan People’s Liberation Army (1983-1989), Stage 2: Bashir Regime Seizes & Consolidates Power (1989-1991), Stage 3: War & Genocide Consumes southern Sudan (1992-2001), and Stage 4: International Intervention (2002-2005)” From Operation Broken Silence.
Prior to South Sudan becoming its own country in 2011, Sudan’s government ruled the country as if it were two separate regions, favoring the northern side over the south. As more and more northern Arab officials joined the office, the bias towards the north shone brightly, placing the southerners at even more of a disadvantage.
In April of 2023, the newest civil war broke out. The RSF (Rebel Support Forces) and the SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) started firing in the country’s capital (Khartoum) and other states.
The RSF was formed from the original Janjaweed militia, the predominantly Arab group was funded by the President Omar al-Bashir and was used to take out southern Sudanese rebels and groups.
Based on studies from Global Conflict Tracker, “More than eleven million have been displaced, giving rise to the worst displacement crisis in the world. Over four million displaced Sudanese have fled to unstable areas in Chad, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, overwhelming refugee camps.”
As the country is going to set foot into its third year of the civil war, the humanitarian crisis continues to grow rapidly. The World Health Organization suggests, “An estimated 33.7 million people will need humanitarian aid this year.”
Where to donate:
- https://crisisrelief.un.org/en/donate-sudan-crisis
- https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/sudan
- https://www.rescue.org/article/crisis-sudan-what-happening-and-how-help
RSF – Rapid support forces
SAF – Sudanese armed forces
Animists – All natural things possess a soul
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