Hundreds of thousands of innocent people have been caught in the crossfire and killed, in the bloody civil war raging in Sudan. But there is something you can do to help, says 13-year-old Olivia.
In April of 2023 a civil war broke out in Sudan between its army and a powerful paramilitary group called the RSF (Rapid Support Forces).
In 1989, Omar al-Bashir came into power through a military coup, and ruled his people in a very oppressive and violent dictatorship. His poor governance, corruption and mismanagement is believed to be the reason for the nation’s downfall.
Even before the war broke out, Sudan was still economically unstable. This meant that around 15.8 million people were in need of humanitarian aid. The Sudanese people continued to protest in the streets pleading for an end to his rule.
They were calling for a new era of democracy, where people had a voice. In 2019 Bashir officially stepped down as president after being overthrown by the military. He was convicted of multiple corruption charges and given a two-year jail sentence.
The leader of the military group that overthrew Al-Bashar created a joint government with the Sudanese civilians. Things were looking up for Sudan.
However, this administration was overthrown by another coup in 2021. This was led by the two men behind the current conflict. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the armed forces, and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as “Hemedti” the RSF leader.
The RSF is a racist organisation formed in 2013. They have been accused of ethnic cleansing against western Sudan’s black African and non-Arab population.
At first, the two generals seemed to see “eye-to-eye” in their plan, however, they soon started to disagree on the future of the country. Tension grew as they both wanted to cling on to their power, wealth and influence. Fighting between both sides began on 15 April 2023, after a lot of tension. The RSF sent their soldiers around Sudan; the army saw this as a threat and war broke out.
The RSF invaded and seized a lot of Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, retaining control of the city. Since 2023, over 12 million people have been displaced and forced to leave their homes.
Khartoum was essentially destroyed by the time the RSF left. Banks, office blocks and houses have been burnt to a crisp. Hospitals and clinics have also been massively affected by air strikes with many people dying inside them. There has also been extensive bombing in Sudan, both the RSF and the army have used airstrikes and drone attacks largely endangering the innocent people of Sudan.
Last week the capital of North Darfur, El-Fasher, which was a city that hundreds of thousands of people had escaped to was captured by the RSF. They committed atrocities, killing 2,000 people within only a couple of days. The violence was ethnically motivated.
You can help to support the Sudanese people by donating to reputable organisations such as the UNHCR, UN Crisis Relief or the UN World Food Program. You can also help by spreading awareness of this humanitarian crisis: this injustice cannot remain unseen.
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