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Talk About Sudan! 🇸🇩
Information
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Background
Sudan is a large country in north-east Africa with a population of 47.5 million. It is the third largest country in Africa by area and shares borders with Egypt, Libya, Chad, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and the Red Sea.
The capital city of Sudan is Khartoum and the country is divided into 18 states. The Blue Nile and White Nile rivers join in Khartoum to form the famous Nile river, which flows northwards into Egypt. Sudan is rich in natural resources and holds the largest amount of agricultural land in Africa.
The country is known for its rich culture and history, tracing back to ancient kingdoms, and it holds the record for having the highest number of pyramids in the world.
Sudan officially gained its independence from British and Egyptian rule in January 1956, after adopting a declaration of independence on December 19, 1955.
The War in Sudan
On April 15, 2023, fighting erupted in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The violence rapidly spread to other parts of the country, engulfing Sudan in a full-scale war.
Key players
Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)
Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
Since the war began, over have been killed, and both the SAF and the RSF have committed atrocities against civilians with impunity.
Not a “civil war”
While many news outlets describe the conflict simply as a “civil war”, it is more accurately described as a counter-revolutionary war, directly linked to the 2018-19 Sudanese revolution and the subsequent joint sabotage of the transition to democracy by both the SAF and the RSF. Sudan’s ruling military and political elite have vested interests in preventing the fulfillment of the Sudanese revolution’s demands for civilian-led democracy and this war has seen a massive campaign of punishment against Sudanese civilians.
Hammer & Hope | In Sudan, the People’s Revolution Versus the Elite’s Counterrevolution (Summer 2024)
Foreign involvement
The war is also critically fueled and supported by foreign actors, like the United Arab Emirates, with interests in Sudan’s rich natural resources, land and prime location by the Red Sea. These actors have strategically aligned with the different warring sides, causing many to describe the conflict as a “proxy war.”
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has long been involved in Sudan’s affairs to advance its own ambitions, with particular interest in Sudan’s gold, agricultural land and strategic location along the Red Sea.
Key interests in Sudan
Gold: Despite having no gold mines, the UAE has in the international gold trade, with its world-famous city, Dubai, nick-named the “city of gold”. The UAE imports and smuggles much of its gold , like Sudan. Sudan’s enormous wealth of gold deposits have been a prime target for the UAE, especially during this time of war. The UAE has supported the RSF, which controls major gold-producing mines in Darfur, and reports indicate that the RSF is .
Agricultural land: The UAE has great interests in acquiring agricultural land in Sudan due to its own food insecurity problems. of the UAE’s food is imported and the country does not have enough agricultural capacity or water security to support its population's needs. The UAE has been acquiring and “investing” in more and more fertile land and farming projects in Sudan, often under the guise of “development”. These projects of cultivated land through the large Emirati companies International Holding Company and Jenaan Investment.
Location: Sudan’s desirable location along the Red Sea is of great strategic importance to the UAE, which seeks to expand its economic power on the global stage. According to , “the Sudanese Red Sea shores are the pass key of over 60 percent of international trade”. The UAE has poured billions of dollars into projects like the Abu Amama port on the Red Sea port, which would allow the UAE to access and control key trade routes in the region and would connect Abu Hamad, an Emirati-built and operated agricultural project in Sudan, to the Red Sea. Only from this port will go to Sudan.
Relationship with the RSF
The UAE has strategically aligned with the RSF and has provided them significant support in the form of arms, banking services and other services. The UAE has been accused of covertly to the RSF as humanitarian aid, as the RSF has been smuggling gold to the UAE.
ICJ Genocide case
On March 6, 2025, Sudan before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the United Arab Emirates, accusing them of against the Masalit ethnic group in Darfur through their backing of the RSF. Sudan of being “complicit in the genocide on the Masalit through its direction of and provision of extensive financial, political, and military support for the rebel RSF militia”. The was held on April 10, 2025.
Russia
(will be updated)
Weapons
For information about the weapons used in this war, please see this report:
Recent updates
Humanitarian crisis
The war in Sudan has triggered an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, with record-breaking displacement, hunger, and suffering.
Sudan is experiencing:
Altogether, this amounts to the , with people in need of humanitarian assistance.
🔗 More info & updates on the humanitarian crisis:
Displacement crisis
Sudan is experiencing the in the world with over 15 million displaced.
Sudanese refugees, displaced within Sudan or to neighbouring countries, continue to face uncertainty and they need to survive, and in displacement camps are common. Displacement camps in Sudan have also been repeatedly attacked by warring parties, injuring and killing people who had fled there for safety.
🔗 More info & updates on the displacement crisis in Sudan:
Hunger crisis
Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Scale. (Source: IPC)
Map of Acute Food Insecurity in Sudan (Source: IPC, Retrieved 14 March 2025)
Map of Acute Food Insecurity in Africa (Source: IPC, Retrieved 14 March 2025)
Key factors
Conflict
Various agricultural areas across Sudan , forcing farmers to flee for safety. This has made it impossible for Sudan’s agricultural industry to plant and harvest enough crops to feed the population. Attacks have also contributed to degradation and contamination of agricultural land.
Economic crisis
Massive have severely disrupted Sudan’s economy, with a devastating impact on the agricultural sector. , making it difficult for people to afford food.
Man-made famine
In June 2024, UN experts reported that both the SAF and the RSF were and in August, a senior UN OCHA official indicated that the catastrophic level of hunger in Sudan is Both the SAF and the RSF have been accused of . Humanitarian workers have also been targeted.
🔗 More info & updates on the hunger crisis:
Health crisis
(will be updated)
🔗 More info & updates on the health crisis:
Children’s crisis
Children in Sudan have faced the brunt of the war, suffering from displacement, malnutrition, lack of access to education, and extreme psychological trauma from witnessing or directly experiencing violence. Over (1 of every 2 children in Sudan) have been within five kilometres of active fighting, and many children have been orphaned, injured or killed by the violence.
Sudanese children are experiencing the largest children’s crisis in the world.
Displacement
Hunger
Health
School
🔗 More info on the children’s crisis in Sudan:
Human rights violations
(will be updated)
🔗 More info & reports on human rights violations in Sudan:
Detentions
For information about the conditions of those who have been abducted and detained during this war, please see this report: ()
Sexual violence
**CONTENT WARNING**
Sudan has seen an alarming rise in sexual and gender-based violence (GBV), with in Sudan estimated to be at risk. According to UN Women, individuals seeking support for GBV skyrocketed .
Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) against civilians has been widespread and used systematically , particularly by the RSF. It is being used as a tool to humiliate, terrorize, and forcibly displace civilians.
Sexual violence has been perpetrated . The ages of reported victims have ranged from
to .
Reports of sexual violence include:
In some instances, sexual assault victims related to their assault, and some victims or after being assaulted.
Sexual violence is likely vastly underreported due to stigma and lack of monitoring systems. Survivors face extreme psychological trauma, shame, and sometimes STIs, pregnancy, and other medical issues requiring care. However, access to medical and psychological services for survivors remains incredibly limited.
Due to the economic impact of the war, some women and girls have been for survival, putting them at further .
Sexual Violence Against Children
According to UNICEF, there have been of rape against children, including children , since the beginning of 2024.
🔗 More info sexual & gender-based violence in Sudan:
Ethnic cleansing & genocide
The RSF, and the Janjaweed it grew out of, are notorious for their brutality and targeting non-Arab ethnic communities in Darfur, most notably during the Darfur genocide in the early 2000’s. During the current war, the RSF has escalated targeted attacks against ethnic Masalit people, as well as other non-Arab ethnic groups like the Fur and Zaghawa.
(will be updated)
🔗 More info on ethnic cleansing and genocide in Sudan:
Environmental crisis: Why this is an environmental justice issue! 🌍
The crisis in Sudan is a brutal example of how war and environmental devastation are deeply intertwined. The disproportionate impacts of climate change in Sudan combined with the direct and indirect attacks on the environment by warring parties have intensified the already harsh living conditions of people trying to survive the war. Sudan’s ecosystems, water resources, and agricultural systems are all under threat by bombing, arson, and other violent attacks. Extractive industries benefiting from and fueling the conflict, further endanger Sudan’s environment and local communities. The environmental consequences of the war in Sudan will continue to impact both the people and the land long after the war is over.
Climate change in Sudan
Sudan is disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis. Rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall have caused wild swings between periods of flooding and drought. Intense rains have become more and more common, bringing more dangerous floods and mudslides.
Extreme weather events have intensified the already disastrous humanitarian impacts of the war, decimating lives and livelihoods and exacerbating the crises. From June to August 2024, across 15 states affecting nearly half a million people (491,100), displacing over 143,000 and destroying farmland, infrastructure and over 35,000 homes. At least 69 people were killed and 112 were injured.
Millions of people living in displacement camps are constantly exposed to the elements, including . Rising temperatures in Sudan have made the heat increasingly unbearable. High temperatures can have dangerous health consequences and and the elderly.
🔗 More info on climate change in Sudan:
Environmental toll of the war
Arson
Throughout this war, there have been numerous documented cases of arson attacks, primarily attributed to the RSF, where communities and agricultural areas have been set on fire.
These attacks are intentional and are part of a larger strategy, often combined with looting, killings, weaponized sexual violence and other human right abuses, to forcibly displace communities from their land. Entire villages have been violently attacked, looted and then burned to the ground, forcing residents to flee. If they try to return to their homes, they will have little to nothing to return to, annihilating their means of survival on their lands.
The environmental consequences of these arson attacks are undeniable. The burning of vegetation contributes to deforestation, destroying and fragmenting local ecosystems. The burning of agricultural land decimates local food security, further exacerbating the hunger crisis. This is yet another example of how attacks on the environment are used to violate human rights.
Oil refinery
In January 2025, the amid fighting between the SAF and the RSF. This caused in the area, exacerbating respiratory issues and increasing long-term risks of cancer. The burning of the refinery also endangered the surrounding soil and any nearby groundwater sources with potentially irreversible contamination with toxic chemicals. A previous raised alarm over the risk of acid rain and long term impacts on groundwater.
🔗 More info on arson attacks in Sudan:
Agricultural crisis
Since the war in Sudan began, there has been a drastic fall in Sudan’s agricultural production with devastating impacts on the current unprecedented hunger crisis.
Sudan holds the largest amount of agricultural land in Africa and is home to one of the largest irrigation schemes in the world, the Gezira Scheme, yet amid the ongoing conflict, it is unable to feed its population.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) , from April 2023 to March 2024, sorghum and millet production fell an estimated below the previous five year average, with an economic impact of . The worst economic losses occurred in the states of West Darfur (), South Darfur () and East Darfur (). The areas most impacted correlate with the “main conflict hotspots.”
(will be updated)
🔗 More info on the agricultural crisis in Sudan:
Bombing
(will be updated)
🔗 More info on the impact of explosives on the environment (general):
Unexploded ordinances
The use of explosives throughout this war poses an immense danger to the lives of civilians even after active fighting ends, as unexploded ordinances (UXO) are often left behind. These explosives pose a direct people, and a further indirect risk of from any hazardous chemicals in the devices. The presence of UXOs has also in some cases of humanitarian aid, delaying access to life-saving food and supplies.
Lack of awareness about the presence of UXOs in communities have already had lethal outcomes, as multiple by UXOs.
UXOs can lie dormant for decades and are another deadly consequence of this war that will continue to impact the people of Sudan for long after the fighting is over. In areas with known or suspected presence of UXOs, the danger will , restricting people’s access to certain travel routes and preventing many people from returning to their homes to rebuild and cultivate their land.
🔗 More info on unexploded ordinances in Sudan:
Resource exploitation
Mining
Sudan is Africa’s and amid the ongoing war there has been an increase in unregulated gold mining, threatening Sudan’s environment and the health of communities across the country.
The impact of Sudan’s gold trade is yet another example of the common “resource curse” that plagues communities in Africa and throughout the Global South. While Sudan’s wealth in gold and other natural resources should be used to uplift and support the population, the benefits instead go to the top, to Sudan’s ruling military class, and out of the country to predatory, foreign actors. Gold mining has directly fueled and prolonged the current devastating war, as both warring parties have exploited Sudan’s rich gold deposits to fund and arm their operations, enriching themselves and the foreign nations backing them.
(will be updated)
Environmental & health impacts
Gold mining in Sudan commonly uses mercury in the process of from other minerals extracted from the ground. This process involves , which directly endangers the health of the workers. According to a , over 50,000 artisanal mines across 14 states in Sudan used mercury in their processes, risking the health of millions. contained in mine tailings can also be found across the country, presenting a looming threat to the environment. Mercury in the environment is known to bioaccumulate in organisms, like fish, affecting species throughout the food chain.
According to the , mercury is “one of the top ten chemicals of major public health concern.” Even limited exposure to mercury can have serious health consequences to the skin, brain, lungs and other major organs, and can negatively affect fetal and early child development.
In 2022, , a mining affected town in River Nile state, revealed high levels of mercury in local drinking water as well as in blood and urine samples of local people, including many children. There were also reports of increased cases of miscarriages, blindness, paralysis, and other complications in areas with nearby mercury waste.
Other toxic chemicals, like cyanide, also used in separating gold from minerals, and have been by artisanal miners.
The use of mercury and cyanide in mining processes poses a direct danger to the health of workers and local communities, and to the environment, with far-reaching consequences. These toxins can contaminate the soil, leach into groundwater, and can wash into surface-level water bodies and river systems, particularly during floods. Following the intense floods in 2024, some hazardous chemicals reportedly .
🔗 More info on mining in Sudan:
Dabanga | Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker: How mercury is poisoning a nation (5 November 2022)
Agricultural land
(will be updated)
🔗 More info on agricultural land grabs in Sudan:
Gum arabic
Sudan is the world’s , producing around 80 percent of global supply. Gum arabic is a natural substance derived from certain species of acacia trees and is a key ingredient used in many everyday consumer products, such as soft drinks, candy, make-up and pet food.
In late 2024, the major gum arabic-producing regions in western Sudan, and reportedly began charging fees to traders.
Since the war in Sudan began, other African countries, including Chad, Senegal, Egypt and South Sudan, have increased exports of gum arabic and traders in these countries have offered the product at abnormally cheap prices and without proper verification, suggesting they may have been smuggled out of Sudan.
🔗 More info on gum arabic in Sudan:
🌺 🌺 🌺
If we truly care about environmental justice, we MUST speak up about Sudan!
The reasons we care about environmental justice are the same reasons we must speak up about the war in Sudan.
We fight for environmental justice because we recognize the intersections of ecological destruction, resource theft, and human rights violations, which disproportionately impacts communities of the Global Majority. As Sudan faces widespread environmental destruction, neocolonial resource exploitation, and atrocities, we cannot remain silent!
We fight for environmental justice because we see how the dehumanization and erasure of Black and Brown people are used to create “sacrifice zones” where the right to health and a safe environment are denied in order to benefit extractive industries and the ruling class. As the Sudanese people are being dehumanized, ignored, and denied their rights to health, safety and justice, we cannot remain silent!
We fight for climate justice because we recognize we have a responsibility to protect the lives of future generations. As Sudan faces the largest children’s crisis in the world, we cannot remain silent!
We fight for climate justice because of the immense danger of large-scale famine across vast areas of our planet and the tragedy of millions forced to flee their homes due to climate change. As Sudan faces the largest hunger crisis and the largest displacement crisis in the world, we cannot remain silent!
We know from the fight against the climate crisis that in order to address an emergency, we must speak and act like it is an emergency. The war in Sudan is an emergency at an unfathomable scale. The international environmental movement must speak up about the war in Sudan. Silence is NOT an option!
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