Nowhere to run? Sudan civil war pushes Darfur to the brink

The Debate

Far from the war in Ukraine and the multiple fronts in the Middle East, a power grab between feuding coup leaders rages on. Since April 2023, Sudan has descended into a full-blown civil war where momentum has swung several times and may be doing so again. The government forces of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan are trying to recapture the whole of the capital. Meanwhile, a senior general has switched sides, defecting from the Rapid Support Forces of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, aka Hemedti, who has laid siege to the last major city beyond his reach inside his native Darfur.

We ask about the dire situation there, the spillover effect everywhere from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa and the discreet backers who make this nightmare possible. Rival sides found themselves at the same table at this week’s BRICS summit in Russia. With the West helpless elsewhere, what can be done to stop Sudan’s wanton destruction and put its revolution of 2021 back on track?

Produced by Andrew Hilliar, Rebecca Gnignati and Annarosa Zampaglione.