Abdel Fattah al-Burhan

This commentary argues that the war in Sudan should be understood not only as a humanitarian catastrophe but also as an existential struggle over sovereignty, state survival, and institutional continuity. Since April 2023, international attention has largely focused on displacement, hunger, civilian suffering, and the collapse of basic services. While these dimensions are indispensable, a purely humanitarian framework obscures the deeper political and strategic nature of the conflict. The war represents a confrontation between the Sudanese state, embodied institutionally by the Sudanese Armed Forces, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia structure sustained by external support networks, cross-border logistics, and foreign fighters. By examining the RSF’s militia character, the internationalization of the conflict, the atrocities in Darfur, and the wider regional security implications, this article contends that lasting peace in Sudan requires the restoration of state authority, the protection of sovereignty, accountability for crimes, and the dismantling of parallel armed structures.