Sudan: A nightmare the world remains silent about Global panorama on Caliber.Az

In recent days, horrifying photos and videos have emerged from Sudan — a country engulfed in a bloody and merciless civil war — showing brutal executions of civilians by armed groups. These shocking images have once again drawn public attention to a conflict that has been raging since April 2023. To understand what is happening and why, one must look into the history of this war.

The roots of the conflict lie in the Darfur region, where, in the early 2000s, the Janjaweed militias were formed — Arab paramilitary groups responsible for mass killings and ethnic cleansing of non-Arab populations. These groups later became the foundation of what is now known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

After the fall of Omar al-Bashir’s regime in 2019, power in Sudan effectively remained in the hands of the military — divided between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo. Initially, the two sides cooperated, but soon they began competing for control over the state and its vast resources. This struggle erupted into a civil war that continues to tear the country apart in a blood-soaked nightmare to this day.

When the war first broke out, many believed it would not last long. However, in a relatively short time, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) evolved from a local militia into a force of almost army-level strength. They then launched a swift campaign to seize control of Darfur and its gold — which became the RSF’s main source of funding. The Sudanese army could not withstand the onslaught, and by mid-2024, the militants had captured most of the country’s western territories.

Unfortunately, the world is only now beginning to pay attention to the catastrophe unfolding in Sudan, even though inhumane war crimes had been documented long before. A BBC report dated April 29, 2024, described mass graves and hundreds of people killed in the El Geneina area. Meanwhile, a UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report from December 23, 2024, highlighted catastrophic levels of hunger in several parts of Sudan. In a UNICEF press release on August 21, it was stated that the humanitarian situation in Sudan is currently the worst on the planet.

In October of this year, the city of El Fasher — the last major stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces — fell under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Following the city’s capture, various human rights organisations and media outlets, including the well-known Qatari network Al Jazeera, reported widespread massacres, looting, and sexual violence carried out by the militants.

Numerous videos circulating on Telegram channels show RSF fighters killing civilians and even recording their own crimes on camera. Alongside these video materials, satellite images depicting blood-stained streets and piles of bodies have spread across the internet.

All of this serves as a grim signal that what is unfolding in Sudan is no longer just another African military conflict — it is a full-scale slaughter of civilians that the world cannot afford to ignore.

We must view Sudan as yet another test of the effectiveness of international security mechanisms. The world’s failure to respond to the mass killings in Sudan sets a dangerous precedent for other similar groups — if they carry out such atrocities, they will conclude “we can too.” And the grim question remains: how many more innocent people, including children, must be slaughtered or starved before the world finally wakes up and says “enough,” backing its protest with firm, decisive action? Sadly, the chances of that outcome are effectively zero.

By Riyad Hamidov