Sudan — Civil War Status
Sudan’s civil war is the world’s largest humanitarian catastrophe by displacement and one of its least-covered major wars. This page summarizes the conflict and how War Monitor tracks it. Live events are on the map.
Last updated July 16, 2026 · Maintained by Rumen Slavov
The war
Fighting broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - former partners in the military government - and has since consumed the country. Control is split along shifting lines: the SAF holds the east and, since 2025, the capital region, while the RSF dominates most of Darfur and parts of the south and west, where sieges and massacres around cities like El Fasher have produced some of the war’s worst documented atrocities. Both sides receive external backing, making the war a proxy contest as well as a civil one.
The humanitarian catastrophe
The numbers are staggering even by the standards of this page: over 12 million people displaced - the largest displacement crisis in the world - famine confirmed in multiple areas, and a health system that has effectively collapsed across conflict zones. Aid access is obstructed by both sides. Because international attention is concentrated elsewhere, reporting coverage is thin, which means verified event counts almost certainly understate the violence - a limitation the methodology is explicit about.
Why it matters beyond Sudan
Sudan sits on the Red Sea, borders seven states, and exports instability through refugee flows, arms markets and armed-group spillover into Chad, South Sudan and Libya. Its ports and airspace matter to Red Sea security at a time when shipping through the region is already under pressure. A fragmented Sudan would reshape the security of the Horn of Africa for a generation.
What War Monitor tracks
ACLED-coded battles, strikes and violence against civilians across all Sudanese states, displacement and famine reporting, and news velocity - feeding Sudan’s consistently high instability score and its place on the critical conflicts list.
Frequently asked questions
A civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has been ongoing since April 2023, splitting control of the country, producing the world’s largest displacement crisis (over 12 million people), confirmed famine, and mass atrocities, particularly in Darfur.
Neither side has a decisive advantage. The SAF recaptured the capital region, while the RSF consolidated control over most of Darfur. Control shifts along active frontlines, which War Monitor tracks through verified event data on the live map.
Access for journalists is dangerous and restricted, communications are disrupted, and international attention is concentrated on other theaters. Thin coverage also means verified event data undercounts the violence - a limitation War Monitor states explicitly.