Sudan in Crisis: Mapping the War's Toll on People
A Visual Narrative of the Conflict and Displacement in Sudan
Background of the Conflict
The Sudanese civil war, a brutal and devastating conflict, continues to ravage the nation without any signs of resolution. At its core, the war is a power struggle between two major factions: the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The SAF is led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, while the RSF is commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as 'Hemedti'.
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan © FT Montage/Getty/AFP/Dreamstime
The conflict ignited on April 15, 2023, marking a severe escalation in tensions between these two forces. This clash not only symbolizes the failure of a fragile power-sharing arrangement but also derails the progress toward Sudan's transition to civilian rule—a transition that had been in the making since the ouster of Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.
Efforts to reach peace in Sudan failed as the SAF and RSF couldn't resolve key disputes, sparking widespread violence. This conflict has deeply affected Sudan's politics and inflicted severe hardship on its citizens, marking a major crisis. Subsequent sections will discuss the impact of this turmoil and the Sudanese people's resilience.
Clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
Impact on Human Lives
The ongoing conflict in Sudan, documented by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) up to February 8th, reveals a distressing scenario with over 1,450 conflict incidents. Notably, more than 850 are battle events, reflecting extensive combat operations, while over 300 incidents involve violence against civilians, and another 250 are due to explosions or remote violence. Such events primarily affect non-combatants, emphasizing the heavy toll on civilian lives.
The human cost is further underscored by the staggering loss of over 13,000 lives since the conflict's inception. A hotspot map illustrates this loss, with Khartoum State and West Darfur State bearing the brunt, marking them as regions with the highest fatalities. This map and the data it represents highlight the urgent need to address the conflict's impact on civilians and to seek resolutions that prevent further tragedies.
Burnt Towns and Villages
The Centre for Information Resilience's (CIR) Sudan Witness team has been monitoring the distressing trend of village burnings within the Darfur region, an area beset by violence that raises concerns of potential crimes against humanity and possible ethnic cleansing campaigns. Their analysis has revealed a harrowing pattern: between 15 April and 15 October 2023, at least 100 villages in Darfur suffered fire damage as recorded in the Map of Fires in Sudan , with some enduring multiple incidents. Note that the burned villages mentioned here are just a few examples of the broader devastation.
The scale of destruction varies, with some villages nearly obliterated while others incurred more localised damage. This systematic burning represents not only a significant loss of property and heritage but also signals a severe humanitarian crisis, displacing communities and intensifying the region's turmoil. The following panoramic image, assembled from stills extracted from a video shot on a hill to the south of Murnei in West Darfur during the city's assault, was probably recorded on June 27, as verified by the CIR, Sudan witness team .
Geolocation of a video by by a stitched panorama created from still images of a video filmed on a hill south from Murnei, during the attack on the city. The video was most likely filmed on 27 June, [Sudan Witness, CIR].
People who fled from El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, to Chad say that the city is “entirely obliterated” by armed men supported by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and that the security and humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.
Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, annotated by CIR shows significant burn scars in residential areas in El Gineina city, the capital of West Darfur on the 13th of June 2023 following the incidents in the city.
Sentinel-2 Satellite imagery showing the burn scars in El Gineina city between the 3rd and 13th of June 2023. Source: Copernicus Sentinel Hub, processed with EO Browser / Annotation by Sudan Witness
Satellite imagery in a report by the BBC shows that a village near Nyala in South Darfur, called Abu Adam, has been totally destroyed by fire. The following comparison shows an image before (19 April 2023) and after the incidents (20 May 2023).
The displacement crisis stemming from the ongoing conflict between the SAF and RSF continues to escalate. To date, it has resulted in approximately 8.1 million people being uprooted, including about 6.3 million internally displaced within Sudan and another 1.8 million who have sought safety across international borders according to the International Organization for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix ( IOM DTM ) Weekly Displacement Snapshot 22. Sudan is currently experiencing the world's most extensive and rapidly expanding internal displacement crises.
This graph illustrates the Summation of IDPs grouped by the States of Destination.
Conclusion
The unfolding crisis in Sudan has wrought untold suffering on its people, creating one of the most urgent humanitarian situations in the world today. The stories of displacement, loss, and violence serve as a stark reminder of the human cost of conflict. As the international community witnesses this tragedy, it is crucial that we not only talk about Sudan but also take concrete actions to support its people.
Recognizing the crisis is the first step; offering solidarity, aid, and advocacy for peace are the subsequent and necessary measures. Let us come together to amplify the voices of Sudanese people, address their immediate needs, and work towards a future where peace and stability allow them to rebuild and thrive.
#TalkAboutSudan
