Sudan's Ongoing Conflict: A March 2026 Situation Report
Summary
Sudan continues to endure a devastating civil war between the national army and the Rapid Support Force (RSF) militias, with drone attacks on civilians becoming an increasingly prominent and lethal feature of the conflict. The RSF, originally established in 2013 to suppress western Sudan rebels, gained significant combat experience that has allowed it to sustain the civil war against the national army from late 2023 to the present. The roots of the current conflict trace back to a 2021 military coup that was intended as a temporary measure to restore democracy, but was instead perceived by pro-reform civilians as another attempt to reimpose dictatorship, echoing the 30-year rule of dictator Omar al-Bashir. By 2024, the fighting had intensified and spread to the capital city, where government and RSF forces engaged in constant urban combat, forcing civilians to flee or leave the country entirely. In contrast, South Sudan has achieved a degree of relative stability after its own post-independence civil war, with rival factions choosing negotiation over continued destructive conflict.
Key Takeaways
- 1. Sudan's civil war between the national army and RSF militias has escalated to include drone strikes deliberately targeting civilian populations
- 2. The RSF's battlefield experience, gained since its founding in 2013, has been a key factor in prolonging the conflict against the regular military
- 3. A 2021 military coup, intended as a transitional measure toward democracy, instead triggered the current civil war by alarming pro-democracy civilians
- 4. Fighting has moved into Sudan's capital city, displacing large numbers of civilians and driving those with financial means to flee the country altogether
- 5. South Sudan, despite sharing a troubled history linked to Bashir's misrule, has reached a comparatively more stable condition after recognizing the self-destructive nature of its own internal conflict