Early in April of 2023, fighting broke out between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who started clashing through their leaders’ General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and General Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, which has since led to the current day civil war in Sudan. Despite the two groups allying in 2019 to defeat 30-year ruler Omar al-Bashir, disagreements started with the integration of the RSF into the national army.
Today, the war has progressed far beyond gruesome, through the progression of human right violations such as ethnic cleansing, sexual violence and even the presence of slavery. Ranging from the human trafficking of women and children into sex slavery, to modern day slavery with child soldiers.
Those who manage to survive the horrible violence inflicted by the RSF are left to starve. Currently, 25 million Sudanese citizens are facing extreme hunger. This hunger is due to the looting and destruction of farmland and supply routes, as well as the closing of markets. Many people are also starving from being displaced and being forced to move away from all they know and own, losing their access to food.
This treatment has been going on since 2023, and is only being fully recognized in 2025. What caused the media to spread outrage on the conditions of Sudan?
The outrage was built up from several instances showing the public the disgusting treatment of citizens. It began gradually, with videos of RSF soldiers executing Sudanese citizens and then bragging to others on how they did it. Then, the United States and United Nations announced that the RSF was committing genocide by country and council standards. Finally, in October of 2025, the RSF gained control of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and a vital humanitarian hub. The capture of El Fasher led to massacres, indiscriminate killings and ethnic targeted killings that led to widespread fears.
It was towards the end of October and early November that videos of people zooming into Sudan from satellite view maps began popping up all over the internet. In these satellite view photos, depictions of dark red blobs in cities are shown that many claim to be blood. This began the ‘all eyes on Sudan’ activism that started taking over the media.
Though skeptics claim that the red splats in these areas are from cattle and pressure from humans walking and going about their daily lives – claiming that Google Maps doesn’t update fast enough, despite the civil war going on for years prior.
As of Nov. 18, the Sudan Civil War is still rapidly progressing and growing more violent. The RSF have taken control of the key humanitarian city El Fasher, and are trying to continue to expand their reach to West Kordofan despite the SAF resisting their pushes. Many foreign governments have taken the responsibility of aiding both sides with weapons and materials, with some big countries such as Iran, Russia and China being among the countries fueling the conflict.
There have been some efforts by other big nations to try and end the Sudanese war, like the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, as well as many other countries and unions. While none have yet to deploy their peacekeeping strategies, there are many continuous talks on what may occur. The UN and the International Criminal Court are currently formally investigating the atrocities that are going on in Sudan.
The Sudan Civil War is a continuous show of brutality and is currently one of the world’s greatest instances of displacement and massacre in modern day history. The RSF is continuously invading these ‘safe spaces’ for the Sudanese people, massacring many and enslaving others. Many counties are getting involved in either further fueling the war or trying to find a peace to stop the genocide. Only more people will continue to lose their lives to this inhumane treatment as long as peace is not reached.
