Echoes of Revolution: Unraveling Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis
Since April 2023, Sudanese civilians have been trapped in a brutal power struggle, killing and displacing millions.Written by Lidya WoldeyesusINTRODUCTION
In December 2018, the Sudanese people took to the streets demanding their liberation from 30-year dictator Omar al-Bashir. Led by young people and women, such as the revolutionary featured in this video, the dictator was overthrown just a few months later. Their celebration, however, was cut short as the military declared a Transitional Military Council (TMC) would run the country for the next two years which would end with "free and fair elections." Over four years later, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is in a power struggle with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo "Hemedti." This counterrevolution has led to the death, starvation, rape, and forced displacement of millions of Sudanese people.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
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In April 2019, four months into the revolution, General Burhan and the SAF alongside General Hemedti's RSF deposed former President al-Bashir. Subsequently, the SAF took control of Sudan and, in response, there were large protests in the capital city of Khartoum. On June 3rd, during a sit-in outside of the military headquarters in Khartoum, the RSF and SAF committed a massacre, killing over 100 protesters, injuring more than 900, and sexually assaulting over 60 people.
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In August 2019, a governing agreement was reached between civilians and General Burhan's military. The 39-month transition period would first be led by the military and de facto leader Burhan for 21 months, followed by civilian governance for the next 18 with elections to be held at the end. The period also established a sovereign council with the jointly appointed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok , cabinet, and legislative body. General Burhan also appointed General Hemedti as deputy of the Security Council.
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On October 25, 2021, four months into the civilian-led government, General Burhan, left, and General Hemedti, right, orchestrated a coup, seizing control of the country. This included the arrest of civilian members of the transitional council and Prime Minister Hamdok. In similar fashion to the June 3rd Khartoum massacre, there was a massive crackdown on anti-coup protesters.
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Upon mounting condemnation from both citizens and the international community, Gen. Burhan restored power to civilian rule and a new transitional agreement was signed in December 2022. The new agreement extended elections for another two years and required the integration of the RSF into the country's military (SAF). On April 15, 2023, with Gen. Hemedti and the RSF's power under threat, war erupted against Gen. Burhan and the SAF.
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
In a February 2024 report, the United Nations reported that 25 million people, including 14 million children are in “dire need of humanitarian assistance."
3 million children under five-years-old, are also suffering acute malnutrition. Before the war in April 2023 began, Sudanese civilians were already facing widespread food insecurity. About 17.7 million people, 37% of the population, are now facing acute hunger.
Millions of Sudanese people, fleeing from violence, are living in makeshift shelters such as this one in the Sudanese border city of Borota, Chad
67% of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are also experiencing dire conditions and reside in informal settlements, schools, and abandoned buildings. They are not only deprived of food, but of safe drinking water and reliable healthcare. 70-80% of hospitals are non-operational and according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), there are nearly 10,000 cases of cholera.
Violent sexual assault, including gang rape by soldiers in front of survivor's family members, and sex trafficking has also been widely reported across Sudan.
FORCED DISPLACEMENT
According to OCHA , as of January 21, 2024, more than 13,000 people have been killed and over 26,000 have been injured. As of February 19, 2024 UNHCR reports there are over 8 million forcibly displaced people, half of whom are children, as a result of the ongoing conflict. UNICEF has described Sudan as the "largest child displacement crisis in the world." Moreover, in October 2023, they estimated that 19 million Sudanese children are out of school.
According to IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix , 6.3 million people have been displaced from their homes within the country and nearly 2 million have sought refuge in bordering nations. These numbers have been climbing weekly, seemingly indefinite. The IDPs are situated in 6,771 locations across Sudan’s 18 states. The highest proportions of displaced people are in the Darfur region (37%), River Nile (11%), White Nile (8%), Sennar (7%), Gedaref (6%), Northern (6%), and Aj Jazirah states (6%). 57% were originally displaced from Khartoum (3.5 million IDPs).
As indicated on the map, there has also been a large migration of Sudanese civilians to neighboring countries. However, this is not sustainable especially as each country in the region is facing their own internal crises.
THE GRIP OF WAR
Smoke fills the skyline like dark clouds over capital city Khartoum, Sudan
Since the beginning of this war, the Sudanese population have been forced to live in the midst of two brutal military operations. None of which are beneficial for the people. The humanitarian crisis demands our collective and immediate action. The stories of suffering, displacement, and loss are heartbreaking, underscoring the urgency of our response.
Time and time again, we see how nation-states use space to violently oppress innocent civilians in the name of brutalist political power. In Sudan, the civilian population has been uprooted by maleficent power oligarchies. The SAF, RSF, and all other complicit external actors are manufacturing the devastation of internal displacement, assault, and famine. Despite the horror, the Sudanese people are resilient and as they face this latest siege on their sovereignty, we have a moral duty to stay engaged and amplify their cries for liberation.
