Sudan in Crisis: Mapping the War's Toll on People

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.

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.

With ACLED dataset the fatalities summed up to 13,068. This representation traces the fatalities across Sudan from the beginning of the conflict till the 8th of February, highlighting the war’s devastating trajectory.

The initial surge in fatalities corresponds with the Khartoum clashes and Al Geneina incidents, which saw the RSF targeting the Masalit tribe in West Darfur. According to the Darfur Bar Association, in a report by Human Rights Watch, the violence spread through Sirba, where over 200, including leaders, were killed. Yale University Humanitarian Research Lab further revealed the obliteration of 27 Darfuri towns by the RSF. ACLED’s data from August to September 2023 indicates over 470 political violence events and a rising death toll surpassing 2,280. The battle over strategic points in Khartoum and inter-ethnic clashes in South Darfur signalled an escalation in violence. The period from late October to November saw more than 360 violent events and 1,690 fatalities, with West Darfur suffering the most casualties.

The Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) reported that as of 15 October 2023, 68 villages have been damaged by fires. Most recently, Al Gezira State has become a hotspot, with over half a million displaced due to the conflict intensifying in urban centres like Medani Al Kubra and Sharg Aj Jazirah, as per the UN IOM and UNHCR reports.

ACLED reported more than 1068 fatalities between January and February following the fall of wad Madani, as a result of clashes in Babanusa, North Kordofan and Dilling.

The graph illustrates the distribution of fatalities across different states in Sudan, revealing the profound impact of the conflict in specific regions. Khartoum tops the chart with 6,405 fatalities, highlighting its status as the conflict’s heart, affecting the cities of Khartoum, Bahri, and Omdurman where SAF and RSF forces are both active.

West Darfur follows with 1,760 fatalities, a region marred by the tragic ethnic cleansing of the Masalit tribes, orchestrated by the RSF and their militias as per the United Nations reports. In South Darfur, 1,555 lives were lost due to violent confrontations in Nyala and RSF attacks on villages which burned some villages to the ground according to reports by the BBC.

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 .

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.

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).

From Conflict to Displacement

The largest Displacement Crisis in the World
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.

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.