Two Year Civil War Rages On in Sudan as the World Watches

Though the war only started semi-recently, it originates from century-old conflicts. Kristen Palenchar, history teacher, said “Sudan used to be part of Egypt, which was a part of the Ottoman Empire in the 1800's. The British were involved with controlling Egypt until 1956, when Sudan became its own country and separated from Egypt and Britain.” 

The separation Palenchar mentioned left Sudan in shambles, leaving a majority of the power in the country to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The SAF and Sudanese government focused on industrialising Northern Sudan, leaving the other parts of Sudan in the dust. A militia in West Sudan, called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), would rise up and oppose the government and fight for control of resources in the area. The RSF and SAF are strongly against each other and, in 2023, the RSF attacked the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, and the civil war began.

The conflict quickly spread from Khartoum to the entire country. Despite the relative recency of the conflict’s birth, there is already a high casualty count. There have been at least roughly 8 million deaths. Many cite genocide on both for the high death count, including the United States, who side with the SAF and accuse the RSF specifcaly of genocide. Palenchar said “Both parties have attacked several people, including hospitals.” 

With events such as this, many worry about the global effects and ask what the possible aftermath of such a conflict could be. For a potential answer, one could look back to the Second Sudanese Civil War, a conflict which lasted for over two decades. In the aftermath of this war, Sudan split, creating the independent country of South Sudan. Something similar could happen with West Sudan, creating a whole new country.