[Photo by Hussein Malla/AP Archive]
According to a Le Monde article from November 2024, there’s a likely death toll of 150,000 from this conflict.
The Rapid Support Forces, better known as the RSF, are a paramilitary group at the center of Sudan’s humanitarian crisis. They’re fighting against the regular army, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in this conflict. While the current civil war began in the capital city, Khartoum, on April 15, 2023, the RSF has existed since 2013 — and even earlier than that.
The 2023—Present Day Sudanese Civil War
The RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti), are clashing with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s SAF. 8 million Sudanese have been displaced from their homes, and 19 million children are out of school since the beginning of this catastrophe. Some of the war crimes consist of attacks against civilian infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals. Further atrocities include torture, mass murder, and rape — with more than 3 million female victims of sexual violence.
According to a September 2024 Time article, the violence between the RSF and SAF has led to 18,800 killed — but this is a severely low estimate. North Darfur is also suffering from a formal declaration of famine, but the international community is hesitant to use this term. While the UN World Food Programme is sending aid to Sudan, it’s not enough for the starving population. There are also accusations of the RSF stealing aid packages. as well as the SAF preventing deliveries from entering RSF controlled areas.
RSF Atrocities
A UN fact finding mission has documented the war crimes and heinous acts committed by the RSF. Civilians have been tortured and intentionally killed, women and girls are victims of rape and sexual assault. Other atrocities include slavery, civilian displacement, and child soldiers being recruited into the ranks. Sexual violence is a defacto doctrine of the RSF — this includes mass rape campaigns, forced marriages, and female victims forced into sexual slavery.
Janjaweed militias — Precursor to the RSF
Before the RSF there were the Janjaweed militias, which were formed in Darfur during the mid-1980s. The name roughly translates to “horsemen” or “bandits on horseback.” Sudan was then going through an economic collapse, and various groups formed militias for self defense. As the situation grew increasingly worse, due to famine and loss of land, the Janjaweed saw an opportunity to take land and replenish lost livestock. The Janjaweed formed into the RSF in 2013 as a means of responding to anti-government forces.
Not all Janjaweed members are from Sudan — some are from Libya, Chad, and other African nations. It’s also not an official term or singular group, as any anti-rebel militant group became known as “Janjaweed.” Prior to becoming the RSF, these militias were able to kill civilians and burn down homes without having any official ties to the government. The only difference between the Janjaweed and RSF is the modern day RSF wears a uniform.
In 2013 these Janjaweed were organized by the former president, Omar al-Bashir, into the RSF and he chose General Dagalo as their leader. Just like today, the early period of the RSF involved looting, torture, rape, murder, and other forms of organized violence. This time the people of Darfur noticed militia members wearing government-sponsored clothing with a Sudanese flag patch as they ravaged through the region. Some RSF members even bragged about their actions on social media — much like the IOF during the (2023—Present Day) Palestinian Genocide.
The RSF continues the Janjaweed’s mounted cavalry tradition, as they’ve entered areas while riding horses and camels. They also use pickup trucks, motorcycles, and 4x4s with mounted machine guns — known as “technicals.”
UAE Funding of the Rapid Support Forces
There are accusations of the United Arab Emirates funding and supplying the RSF — with circumstantial evidence of UAE troops embedded within the RSF. UAE passports have been retrieved in Sudan, but beyond that the UAE is sending money and weapons to the Rapid Support Forces. The Emirati government wants access to Sudan’s natural resources and has allied with the RSF to to achieve this goal. One of the UAE humanitarian aid planes landed in Uganda, and officials discovered weapons and ammo in the crates instead of food and medicine.
The British government also has a hand in this by providing cover for the UAE. There are claims of the UK’s Foreign Office putting pressure on African diplomats in order to prevent criticism of the UAE’s connection to the RSF. This has lead to accusations of the UK not caring about the Sudanese people, and instead worrying about their relationship with the Emirati government. UK Foreign Office officials have denied this, much like the UAE denying any links to the RSF.
The Wagner Group and The RSF
Another party involved with the Rapid Support Forces is The Wagner Group — a Russian PMC. Satellite footage has shown Russian military planes flying between Libya and Sudan. Libyan general, Khalifa Haftar is backing the RSF and also has ties to Russia by allowing the Wagner Group to have bases in Libya. The Wagner Group has provided the RSF with surface-to-air missiles to assist in their fight against the Sudanese Armed Forces.
The Wagner Group was founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a convicted criminal and a one-time caterer at the Kremlin. He amassed a great amount of wealth which helped him fund his PMC. Prigozhin military company first received attention in 2014 — when the Russian PMC participated in the Crimea annexation. Wagner has been involved in other African conflicts including Mali and the Central African Republic. This is to help the Russian government secure resources.
While there’s no evidence of Wagner members currently fighting with the RSF, former president Omar al-Bashir signed a gold-mining deal between Russian company, M Invest, and the Sudanese Ministry of Minerals. Prior to this conflict, there have been images of Wagner Group members in Sudan — whether it’s training Sudanese military or suppressing protests. There are also reports of the Wagner Group smuggling Sudanese gold to a Russian military base in Syria.
The Wagner Group denies any involvement with the RSF.