Sudan descends into civil war once again

By Michelle Belenkiy World News Editor

Sudan, the third largest country in Africa, is currently experiencing a military conflict tearing the country apart. The fighting is between two opposing military forces loyal to two rival generals. Each general leads a faction of the country’s military regime.

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). He can be understood as something along the lines of the country’s president. However, the recent struggle has put that position in question. The opposing side is run by al-Burhan’s deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, more commonly known as Hemedti. He is the leader of a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The official start of the conflict was marked on April 15 with shots rocketing through Sudan. The tension had been slowly ramping up between the army and the RSF for quite a while as the leaders jockeyed for power. The rival generals had ruled the country together since they took power in a coup in the year 2021. Their alliance broke down over how to manage the transition to a civilian government (the now long-forgotten steps toward democracy) and a disagreement over how the RSF should be merged into the armed forces. In addition, they squabbled over what authority should oversee the pro-