There is nothing stranger than Africa, and perhaps Sudan. In 2011, after several decades of war between North Sudan, dominated by Arabs, and South Sudan, populated mainly by Christians, the Sudanese, under the auspices of the African Union (which is supposed to unite us), decided, by referendum, to separate Sudan into two states: North Sudan and South Sudan. This secession, far from bringing peace to Sudan, instead put an end to several civil wars between the north and the south.

A few years later, two internal wars shook these two countries. In South Sudan, President Salva Kiir, from the Dinka ethnic group (known for its tall stature), accused his vice-president, Riek Machar, from the Nuer ethnic group, of plotting a coup. Unfortunately, the country descended into a civil war between these two ethnic groups.

Even today, the situation remains marked by a profound economic, social and humanitarian crisis.

Since the start of the conflict in 2013, more than 500,000 people have lost their lives. South Sudan is currently facing intercommunal conflict and violence.

On the other hand, in Sudan (Khartoum), after the fall of Omar al-Bashir's regime in 2019, the two generals Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), clashed violently over the restructuring of the army in 2023. General al-Burhan wanted to integrate the RSF into the regular army, while Hemedti, with his own military and financial resources, refused this subordination.

Since then, Sudan has descended into a bloody and devastating war that no longer distinguishes between civilians and military personnel. Extrajudicial killings and violations of international humanitarian law and conventions on armed conflict are on the rise.

Sudan has become an open-air slaughterhouse, a lawless zone, a hotbed of human rights violations. Currently, the army under Burhan has managed to recapture symbolic positions in Khartoum: the presidential palace, the international airport, etc.

In terms of the human toll, it is estimated that there are more than 20,000 deaths and nearly 20 million displaced persons, while 25 million Sudanese live in extreme psychological, social and humanitarian distress.

One of the poorest countries in the world has sadly become one of the most crime-ridden.

As things stand, we can no longer simply speak of war, as the violence and atrocities exceed all measure. It is now a humanitarian tragedy resembling genocidal punishment.

Sudan continues to astonish, frighten and shock the world with the scale of this unprecedented violence, orchestrated by two generals who could now be described as warlords, each seeking to preserve his selfish interests.

What is appalling about the two crises shaking the two Sudans is that the populations are being held hostage by leaders whose sole objective is the preservation of their power and personal interests. In North Sudan, these are the two generals, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). In South Sudan, it is President Salva Kiir and his Vice President Riek Machar.

That said, the decision to divide Sudan into two states was far from an ideal solution. Since the split, the divisions have deepened, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis, the disorganization of institutions, and the uncontrolled flow of weapons in both countries. Far from stabilizing the region, the division has allowed military and political elites to consolidate their power, often at the expense of civilian populations, thus creating a cycle of violence and instability that persists to this day.

Mohamed Rassoul Gueye, journalist / information analyst