A long-simmering dispute between Sudan’s army and a paramilitary group exploded into a full-blown civil war in April 2023. At least 150,000 people may have been killed since then, according to US estimates, and the violence shows little sign of abating. Millions have fled their homes, leading to what the United Nations has described as the world’s biggest displacement crisis. Eclipsed by wars in Ukraine and Gaza, this is a humanitarian disaster that rarely makes headlines. International donors have committed far more aid to Kyiv than they have to the North African country. The United Arab Emirates and Iran have been accused of providing weapons and financial backing to the warring sides, undermining efforts by the US and Saudi Arabia to broker a ceasefire. Sudan’s military, long the country’s pre-eminent power broker, propped up dictator Omar al-Bashir for three decades before ousting him in 2019. In 2021, the army, led by Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, toppled an uneasy transitional coalition of civilian and military figures. That coup sparked new unrest and a deadly crackdown by security forces.

Full explainer : Sudan Is Being Ravaged by a Civil War the World Has Overlooked.