Sudan’s War of Suffering: An Analytical & Humanitarian Brief

By Marametrics Consulting, November 2025

Executive Summary

Since April 2023, the war in Sudan has evolved from a power struggle between the national army and paramilitary forces into a full‑blown humanitarian catastrophe. The fighting, centred on the confrontation between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has triggered massive displacement, hunger, health system collapse and systematic atrocities against civilians. With over 13 million people displaced, tens of thousands killed as of November 2025, and food insecurity intensifying across the country, Sudan now represents one of the most urgent crises of our era. Credible evidence indicates that the RSF in particular has engaged in grave human‑rights violations including torture, sexual slavery, summary executions, potentially amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Drawing from our advisory work in East Africa, experts from Marametrics analyze how power struggles exacerbate humanitarian needs. This report provides an analytical overview of the conflict’s origins, humanitarian consequences, and crimes against humanity, and concludes with recommendations for urgent global action.

1. Origins of the Conflict

The flashpoint was 15 April 2023, when months of tension between General Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan (SAF) and General Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo (RSF) erupted into open warfare. At stake were mechanisms for integrating the RSF into the national army and the control of economic networks. Credible reports further reveal that RSF’s control over Darfur’s gold mines fueled tensions over revenue sharing. What began as political‑military jockeying swiftly transformed into widespread hostilities, spreading beyond Khartoum to western and central Sudan.

The war’s defining characteristic is its disregard for civilian protection. Civilians, often used as human shields, highlight failures in international peacekeeping protocols including the failure of Responsibility to Protect (R2P). Ordinary people have become the battlefield itself with their homes, markets, hospitals and schools reduced to targets or shields.

2. The Humanitarian Catastrophe

Displacement has reached historic levels. According to UNHCR and IOM (Oct 2025), 11.7 million people are internally displaced, and 4 million more have fled to Chad, South Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia. One in four Sudanese has been uprooted, placing immense pressure on host communities and humanitarian services. In comparison, about 430,000 people had been displaced in the Syrian conflict between December 2024 and July 2025, demonstrating the shift in the intensity of Sudan’s conflict. However, based on our program design in East Africa, scalable aid corridors could mitigate 20% of displacement pressures.

Food insecurity is catastrophic. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) estimates that 24.6 million Sudanese are in Crisis (IPC 3) or worse between December 2024 and May 2025. North Darfur faces amplified famine conditions due to conflict, destroyed farms and blocked humanitarian access.

The health system has collapsed. Over 70 % of facilities are non‑functional, with repeated bombings of hospitals in Darfur and Kordofan, outbreaks of cholera and measles, and severe shortages of medical staff and supplies.

Gender‑based violence is rampant. Amnesty International (2025) documented RSF‑perpetrated rape, gang‑rape, and sexual slavery. Women and girls, some as young as 15, others elderly have been attacked in their homes and public spaces.

3. Documented Atrocities and Crimes Against Humanity

Reports by Human Rights Watch, OHCHR and The Guardian describe RSF detention centres north of Khartoum where prisoners were starved, beaten, and electrocuted. Investigators found manacles, evidence of severe mistreatment verified by investigators, and a mass grave with at least 550 unmarked bodies. Survivors recall being chained, deprived of food, and tortured until death.

In West Darfur’s El Geneina, the RSF and allied militias executed ethnic cleansing campaigns against the Masalit and other non‑Arab communities. Mass killings, forced displacement, and the destruction of entire neighbourhoods have been verified by observers.

Sexual violence continues to be used as a weapon of war. Women are abducted, held as sexual slaves, and raped in front of family members. Hospitals, schools and markets have been shelled, and humanitarian convoys targeted and workers tortured violating every principle of international humanitarian law. In response, tailored humanitarian monitoring tools could aid in real-time atrocity documentation for accountability.

4. Regional and Geopolitical Dimensions

The conflict has destabilised the Horn of Africa. Refugee flows into Chad and South Sudan have overwhelmed their fragile systems. Arms trafficking through the region, and reports of foreign‑made weapons reaching the RSF, highlight the conflict’s international reach. Economically, the Sudanese pound has collapsed and supply chains across the Red Sea corridor have been disrupted. Todate, several mediation initiatives led by the Quad (US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) have been launched since the start of the war, with limited success. The African Union has also been unable to get the main warring parties to agree to a permanent ceasefire.

5. Timeline of Key Events (2023‑2025)

6. Recommendations for Action

• Protect civilians through UN monitored ceasefires and safe corridors for aid.
• Guarantee humanitarian access to besieged areas and remove bureaucratic barriers.
• Coordinate regional diplomacy via AU and IGAD frameworks to mediate talks.
• Fund survivor‑centred services for victims of sexual violence.
• Adopt tailored M&E frameworks to track aid delivery and reduce corrupt malpractices

7. Conclusion

Sudan’s war represents the collapse of a state and the suffering of a nation. Its people are caught between rival armed groups, abandoned infrastructure and vanishing hope. With 25 million at risk, urgent justice is non-negotiable. The international community must act with urgency-through protection, access and justice-to prevent further descent into atrocity and famine. Our monitoring in similar contexts shows early integration pacts could prevent escalation.

Further readings

• UN OHCHR, “Sudan – Report Details Rampant Abuse of Detainees” (2025)
• Human Rights Watch, “Sudan: Ethnic Cleansing in West Darfur” (2024)
• Amnesty International, “They Raped All of Us: Sexual Violence in Sudan” (2025)
• The Guardian, “Evidence of Torture Found at Detention Centre” (2025)
• Council on Foreign Relations, “RSF Militia Captures Key Sudanese City” (2025)

About Marametrics Consulting

Marametrics Consulting is a research and advisory firm working across East Africa and the Horn. We specialise in humanitarian analysis, monitoring and evaluation, and programme design and support for crisis and development contexts. For media and partnerships: info@marametricsconsult.org