The social media hashtag #eyesonSudan has been trending in recent weeks, no doubt with the underlying message that Sudan deserves the same attention and outrage that other conflicts have received. No conflict is clear-cut, but certainly in the case of Sudan, there needs to be a degree of realistic acknowledgement about the conduct of both sides if peace is to be achieved.
The media spotlight has fallen on El-Fasher these past few days, with the Sudanese conflict receiving more airtime in a week than it has over the beyond tragic past two and a half years. General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, the leader of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), part of the Tasis alliance, has declared an investigation into the conduct of some of the soldiers in his alliance during the capture of El-Fasher. The local civilian population has endured famine conditions in El-Fasher as well as Kadugli, also part of the Darfur region.
The anguish of the Sudanese people during this long conflict has been, and continues to be, immense. The unbearable longevity of the situation in El-Fasher, and its ferocious end, are one chapter of a tragic saga of suffering by Sudanese civilians. In addition to the claims being investigated by the RSF around their soldiers’ actions, there is also a catalogue of misconduct by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
The SAF has repeatedly carried out indiscriminate shelling, airstrikes, and drone attacks on civilian areas, resulting in large-scale civilian casualties and destruction, including attacks on crowded markets and populated neighborhoods. Human rights bodies have documented arbitrary executions and torture directed by SAF and allied militias, particularly against groups perceived to be affiliated with the RSF. They have also blockaded urban centers, used starvation as a weapon, imposed bureaucratic barriers on humanitarian aid, and carried out collective punishment tactics. But the tactic that has caused the most alarm has been the use of chemical weapons by the SAF, as documented by France 24, Human Rights Watch, and the United States government.
The Sudanese civilian appears destined to come last. This is apparent not only in the warfare tactics being used but also in the seeming reluctance to come to peace negotiations. SAF leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s aversion to peace talks is well documented. He famously failed to show up for talks in August 2024. He did show up to meet Massad Boulos, US envoy to Africa, but immediately after the meeting, he ruled out compromise or reconciliation, stating yet again that the conflict would only end in outright military victory for the SAF. There is some understanding on the international stage that General Burhan’s hands are tied on this matter by the Islamist militia allies, upon whom he is so dependent. That understanding is not much help, neither for peace talks nor for the plight of Sudanese civilians.
There should indeed be “eyes on Sudan.” This conflict has already lasted 936 days since it began on 15 April 2023. During that time, over 11.7 million people have been forcibly displaced, with acute and rapidly growing needs among those trapped by fighting or blockades. Death toll estimates vary, but documented fatalities since the conflict began are in the tens of thousands, and some unverified sources suggest the war’s true death toll could be as high as 150,000. Famine is confirmed in several conflict zones. Peace efforts must be intensified, and to succeed, international eyes need to be clear on the motivations and challenges on both sides.
