The Telegraph unpacks the history and key figures related to the fierce battles raging in the North African country
Sudan is Africa’s third-largest country, sitting south of Egypt and bordering the Red Sea.
The country is also neighbours with Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Chad and Libya. At 719,000 square miles, it is nearly eight times the size of the UK.
The fighting is between forces loyal to two powerful, rival generals who each lead a faction of the country’s military regime.
Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is head of the armed forces and in effect the country’s president. His deputy, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is better known as Hemedti, is the leader of a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The shooting began on April 15. Tensions had been building between the army and the RSF for a long time, however, as their leaders jockeyed for power.
The rival generals had ruled the country since they took power in a coup in 2021, but their regime had been described as “a loveless marriage where they hate each other’s guts”.
The rivalry has its roots going back years to the regime of long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir. During his 30-year rule, he built up formidable security forces that he set against one another to maintain control.
The RSF’s origins are in the notorious Janjaweed militias used by al-Bashir to put down a rebellion in Darfur in the early 2000s. Hemedti was the leader of one of the largest militias.
An estimated 2.5 million people were displaced and 300,000 killed. International Criminal Court prosecutors accused government officials and Janjaweed commanders of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Al-Bashir later formalised the militias into the RSF under Hemedti. They were given tasks including border control and also sent troops to fight in Yemen alongside Saudi and Emirati troops. Hemedti, meanwhile, built a business empire. The army’s leadership watched his rise with alarm.
Nevertheless, Hemedti and al-Burhan then cooperated to back pro-democracy protestors and overthrow al-Bashir in 2019. Yet two years later they overthrew the transitional government which was supposed to steer Sudan back to democratic rule and instead installed themselves as military leaders.
Since then, many have felt a showdown between the rivals was inevitable.
Diplomats from Africa, the West and Middle East have made repeated calls to end the fighting.
Yet in recent years many countries have also been trying to angle for advantage in Sudan.
The country sits in an unstable region, bordering the Red Sea, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.
Its strategic position and agricultural and mineral potential have tempted many to battle for influence.
Russia seeks a military base on the Red Sea, while the Saudis and the UAE have seen an opportunity to push back against Islamist influence in the region.
Observers say most players seem to have tried to hedge their bets, cosying up to both of the generals, but the longer the conflict goes on, the greater the risk that nations pick sides and the conflict deepens.