The Forgotten War

For 10 weeks last spring, Mujahid Abdulaziz, a 20-year-old engineering student, tried to find a doctor to get the bullet out of his leg after getting shot at a checkpoint in his war-torn nation.

In Sudan, obtaining basic medical care has become a torturous search for help. Abdulaziz crossed the Nile three times, circling Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, in buses that passed through deserts and around a mountain. Finally, after a journey of 100 miles that should have been 10, he reached Al Nau hospital, where doctors pulled out the bullet at last.

In Sudan last spring, Mujahid Abdulaziz was shot at a checkpoint in his war-torn nation. For 10 weeks, the 20-year-old engineering student tried to find a doctor to get the bullet out of his leg.

In Sudan, obtaining basic medical care has become extremely difficult. Abdulaziz crossed the Nile three times. He circled Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, in buses that passed through deserts and around a mountain. His journey, which should have been 10 miles, lasted 100 miles. At last, he reached Al Nau hospital and doctors removed the bullet.

Not long ago, Abdulaziz believed he and his nation had an exciting future. He was among the many young people who participated in the euphoric mass protests in 2019 that helped topple President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan’s autocratic ruler of three decades, in a moment of triumph for the country.

Al-Bashir went to jail, convicted on corruption charges. Politics opened up. Artists flourished. Western governments offered to cancel billions of dollars in debt.

But these dreams of a better future have wilted after just two years. Unwilling to cede power to civilians, Sudan’s military and a powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (R.S.F.) united to overthrow the government in 2021. After they derailed the country’s transition to democracy, Abdulaziz and thousands of others returned to the streets in protest.

Not long ago, Abdulaziz believed he and his nation had an exciting future. He was among the many young people who participated in mass protests in 2019. They helped remove President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan’s autocratic ruler of thirty years. It was a moment of triumph for the country.

Al-Bashir was convicted on corruption charges and went to jail. Politics became more open. Artists flourished. Western governments offered to cancel billions of dollars in debt.

But these dreams of a better future have faded after just two years. In 2021, Sudan’s military and a powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (R.S.F.) joined to overthrow the new government. They refused to transition to democracy and turn power over to civilians. Abdulaziz and thousands of others returned to the streets in protest.

And now, nearly two years into a civil war that’s ravaging the country, Abdulaziz just feels defeated.

Before the war, “we were just dreaming,” he says. Now, “those hopes are gone.”

The civil war that has engulfed Sudan began in April 2023, when the two generals who worked together to stage the military coup turned on each other, disagreeing over how to integrate their forces into a single army. They’re now fighting for control of the country and its resources.

And now, nearly two years into a civil war that’s destroying the country, Abdulaziz just feels defeated.

Before the war, “we were just dreaming,” he says. Now, “those hopes are gone.”

The civil war that has engulfed Sudan began in April 2023.  The two generals who worked together to stage the military coup turned on each other. They disagreed on how to integrate their forces into a single army. Now they are fighting for control of the country and its resources.

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan leads the Sudanese Armed Forces, and he has been the country’s de facto ruler since 2019. He rose to power after al-Bashir’s ouster and was supposed to oversee Sudan’s transition to democratic rule.

His rival, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan, leads the rebel group R.S.F. Formerly known as the Janjaweed, the militia became infamous during the early 2000s when the government deployed it to the western region of Darfur, in an ethnic cleansing campaign against non-Arab people that killed about 300,000 of them.

The 2023 standoff between the military and the R.S.F. erupted into gunfire on the streets of Khartoum. When the fighting broke out, many residents figured it wouldn’t last long. Sudan has experienced dozens of coups, the most of any nation in Africa, since it gained independence from Britain and Egypt in 1956. Most were short and bloodless.

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan leads the Sudanese Armed Forces. He has been the country’s de facto ruler since 2019. He took over after al-Bashir’s removal and was supposed to oversee Sudan’s transition to democratic rule.

His rival, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan, leads the rebel group R.S.F. Formerly known as the Janjaweed, the militia became infamous during the early 2000s. During that time the government sent the militia to the western region of Darfur. The ethnic cleansing campaign against non-Arab people killed about 300,000 of them.

The 2023 standoff between the military and the R.S.F. erupted into gunfire on the streets of Khartoum. When the fighting started, many residents figured it wouldn’t last long. Since Sudan gained independence from Britain and Egypt in 1956, it has experienced dozens of coups, the most of any nation in Africa. Most were short and bloodless.

But the Sudanese military found the R.S.F. a more formidable enemy than expected. The fighting quickly spread across the nation, collapsing the Sudanese government and reducing Khartoum, once one of the largest cities in Africa, to a charred battleground.

General Hamdan, the R.S.F. leader, claims he’s fighting for Sudan’s marginalized people and has sought to distance himself from the ruthless tactics of the Janjaweed. But his lofty speeches are at odds with the massacres, rapes, and ethnic violence that human rights groups say his fighters commit.

The Sudanese military has also committed war crimes, U.S. officials say, including indiscriminate bombing and the use of starvation as a weapon.

More than 150,000 people have died, by American estimates, and 10.5 million have fled their homes in the largest displacement crisis on earth, according to the United Nations (U.N.). Officials have declared a famine in Darfur, and more than half of the country’s 48 million people face a hunger crisis. Officials have warned that hundreds of thousands of children could die as both sides use the lack of food as a tool of war.

But the Sudanese military found the R.S.F. to be a stronger enemy than expected. The fighting quickly spread across the nation. It collapsed the Sudanese government and reduced Khartoum, once one of the largest cities in Africa, to a charred battleground.

General Hamdan, the R.S.F. leader, claims he’s fighting for Sudan’s marginalized people. He has tried to distance himself from the ruthless tactics of the Janjaweed. But his speeches are at odds with the massacres, rapes, and ethnic violence that human rights groups say his fighters commit.

The Sudanese military has also committed war crimes, U.S. officials say, including random bombing and the use of starvation as a weapon.

More than 150,000 people have died, by American estimates, and 10.5 million have fled their homes. According to the United Nations (U.N.), this has created the largest displacement crisis on earth. Officials have declared a famine in Darfur. More than half of the country’s 48 million people face a hunger crisis. Officials have warned that hundreds of thousands of children could die because both sides use the lack of food as a tool of war.

Sudan is also facing one of the worst education crises in the world, according to the U.N., with an estimated 19 million children out of school. More than a year into the war, universities, primary, and secondary schools across the nation remain closed. Young people out of school have been exposed to physical and mental threats, including recruitment into armed groups, and many have chosen to flee the country.

“I had ambitions for myself, my family, and my country,” says Braa Nureyn, a 22-year-old who escaped with her family to a refugee camp in South Sudan. Before the war, she was a second-year dental student in Khartoum. She says it pains her that she’s no longer going to campus every day.

“The idea of being a refugee is impossible,” she says. “I avoid thinking about it because there’s no solution.”

Sudan is also facing one of the worst education crises in the world, according to the U.N.  An estimated 19 million children are out of school because universities, primary, and secondary schools across the nation have been closed for over a year. Young people have been exposed to physical and mental threats, including recruitment into armed groups.  Many have chosen to leave the country.

“I had ambitions for myself, my family, and my country,” says Braa Nureyn, a 22-year-old who escaped with her family to a refugee camp in South Sudan. Before the war, she was a second-year dental student in Khartoum. She says it hurts that she’s no longer going to campus every day.

“The idea of being a refugee is impossible,” she says. “I avoid thinking about it because there’s no solution.”

For generations, Sudan has been torn apart by a bitter divide between its north, which is wealthier and identifies as Arab and Muslim, and its south, which is less developed and is ethnically Black and religiously mixed, with a large Christian population.

In the nearly 70 years since independence, the divide between the two regions has led to two brutal civil wars and the eventual separation of South Sudan as its own nation in 2011.

For three decades starting in 1989, President al-Bashir ruled Sudan as an authoritarian dictator. He enforced an extreme version of Muslim religious
law that, among other things, restricted what women could wear and who they could socialize with, and he oversaw the brutal genocide in Darfur.

For generations, Sudan has been torn apart by a bitter divide between its north and south. The northern population is wealthier and identifies as Arab and Muslim. The south is less developed and is ethnically Black and religiously mixed, with a large Christian population.

The divide between the two regions has led to two brutal civil wars in the nearly 70 years since independence. In 2011, South Sudan separated as its own nation.

For three decades starting in 1989, President al-Bashir ruled Sudan as
an authoritarian dictator. He enforced an extreme version of Muslim religious law that, among other things, restricted who women could socialize with and what they could wear. He oversaw the brutal genocide in Darfur.

In the current war, Darfur has once again suffered widespread violence and destruction at the hands of the R.S.F. Toby Harward, the top U.N. official for Darfur, has likened the situation there to “hell on earth.”

Sudan, the third-largest African nation, occupies a pivotal position on the continent. It has about 500 miles of coast on the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. It’s one of Africa’s top gold producers, and its position on the Nile gives it enormous agricultural potential.

The war has turned the country into a global free-for-all, as outside interests pour weapons or fighters into the conflict, hoping to grab the spoils of war—Sudan’s gold, for instance, or its perch on the Red Sea. The biggest outside influence is the United Arab Emirates, which has secretly supplied weapons to the R.S.F. through a base in neighboring Chad and has extensive gold and agricultural interests in Sudan. The Emiratis, who deny backing any side, say their operation is purely humanitarian.

In the current war, Darfur has once again suffered widespread violence and destruction at the hands of the R.S.F. Toby Harward, the top U.N. official for Darfur, has likened the situation there to “hell on earth.”

Sudan is the third-largest African nation and occupies an important position on the continent. It has about 500 miles of coast on the Red Sea, which allows access to one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. It’s one of Africa’s top gold producers. It has enormous agricultural potential because of its position on the Nile River.

The war has turned the country into a global free-for-all. Outside interests have been pouring weapons or fighters into the conflict. They hope to grab control of Sudan’s resources such as gold or its access to the Red Sea. The biggest outside influence is the United Arab Emirates. It has secretly supplied weapons to the R.S.F. through a base in neighboring Chad and has extensive interests in gold and agriculture in Sudan. The Emiratis, who deny backing any side, say their operation is purely humanitarian.

Iran, Ukraine, and Egypt have provided military aid to the Sudanese; Russia has played both sides.

Yet despite the hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions displaced, and involvement of other global autocratic powers, the conflict has received scant attention from world leaders or sufficient humanitarian aid. But its soaring human cost is making it harder to ignore. U.N. experts warn that Sudan is again spiraling into genocidal violence, as it did in the early 2000s. Samantha Power, the head of USAID, an international development agency, says it is “the single largest humanitarian crisis on the planet.”

Iran, Ukraine, and Egypt have provided military aid to the Sudanese, and Russia has played both sides.

Yet despite the hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions displaced, and involvement of other global autocratic powers, the conflict has received little attention from world leaders. The lack of sufficient humanitarian aid and the war’s soaring human cost is making it harder to ignore. U.N. experts warn that Sudan is again heading into genocidal violence, as it did in the early 2000s. Samantha Power, the head of USAID, an international development agency, says it is “the single largest humanitarian crisis on the planet.”

In August, the U.S. tried to hold peace talks in Switzerland (see “The U.S. & Sudan,” below), but the Sudanese military refused to attend. The following month, a U.N. panel called for a neutral international peacekeeping force to protect civilians.

Amidst the widespread violence and destruction around Khartoum, some, like Edward Fahmy, 73, have chosen to stay put—even as bombs rained down and his cousin was struck by a stray bullet.

Says Fahmy: “We were born here, we grew up here, and we will die here.”

In August, the U.S. tried to hold peace talks in Switzerland (see “The U.S. & Sudan,” below), but the Sudanese military refused to attend. The following month, a U.N. panel called for a neutral international peacekeeping force to protect civilians.

Amidst the widespread violence and destruction around Khartoum, some, like Edward Fahmy, 73, have chosen to stay put—even with the bombings and the fact his cousin was struck by a stray bullet.

Says Fahmy: “We were born here, we grew up here, and we will die here.”

With reporting by Declan Walsh, Nicholas Casey, Abdi Latif Dahir, Nick Cumming-Bruce, and Cristoph Kotell of The Times.

With reporting by Declan Walsh, Nicholas Casey, Abdi Latif Dahir, Nick Cumming-Bruce, and Cristoph Kotell of The Times.