Darfur: From Genocide to RSF Rule
The tragedy of a region trapped in permanent crisis
Darfur suffered a genocide between 2003 and 2010 and is once again on the edge of catastrophe under brutal RSF control.
The Darfur genocide, 2003-2010
The Darfur conflict began in 2003 when rebel groups rose against political and economic marginalization by Khartoum. Omar al-Bashir's government responded by unleashing Arab militias, known as the Janjaweed, against non-Arab communities. The result was mass killings, village burnings, rape, and displacement on a scale that the United States described as the first genocide of the 21st century.
Systematic violence
The Janjaweed destroyed villages, killed men, raped women, and drove millions from their homes. An estimated 300,000 to 400,000 people died. In 2009, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Bashir on genocide charges.
The international response
The UN deployed a peacekeeping mission, UNAMID, but it never had enough leverage to stop the violence. China and Russia blocked stronger action at the Security Council, and Western sanctions never matched the scale of the crime.
From Janjaweed to RSF
The Janjaweed were later reorganized into the Rapid Support Forces under Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. What began as a militia evolved into a parallel army with gold mines, business interests, and a direct role in Sudan's power struggles. After Bashir fell in 2019, Hemedti and Burhan shared authority until their alliance collapsed.
Darfur in the 2023-2025 civil war
When the wider civil war began in 2023, Darfur again became a center of mass violence. The RSF took control of large parts of the region and used ethnic targeting against Masalit and other non-Arab groups. El Geneina was nearly emptied, and surviving communities were pushed into a new cycle of displacement.
The situation in late 2025
By late 2025, more than 2 million people had fled the El Fasher area alone, while aid access remained extremely limited. The risk of renewed genocide is real, but global attention has faded. Darfur has become a forgotten crisis again, even though the same patterns of violence are visibly repeating.
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More background reading from the wiki
Sudan's Civil War: A Country in Chaos
The war that began in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces has driven the country into a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Sudan's Failed Peace Talks in 2025
Despite repeated international mediation efforts, Sudan's warring parties have shown no willingness to trade battlefield logic for a political settlement.