Khartoum is Showing Signs of Life

 Aljazeera published on 19 May 2026 an article titled "Khartoum's Slow Recovery amid Cautious Return" by Al-Nour Ahmed Al-Nour.  

The article describes a capital city under the control of the Sudan Armed Forces that is slowly returning to life following three years of civil war that still rages elsewhere in the country.  It describes which sections of the city are showing signs of revival.

Background Behind Military Power Struggle in Sudan

 The New York Times published on 15 April 2023 an article titled "Rival Generals Unleash Fighting in Sudan, Dashing Dreams of Democracy" by Declan Walsh.

The Washington Post published on 16 April 2023 an article titled "69 Civilians Killed in Sudan as Military and Rival Group Fight for Control" by Katharine Houreld and John Hudson.  

The articles in the two newspapers provide useful background on the struggle between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to control Sudan, ending any immediate hope for a democratic transition in the country.  

Sudan: South Kordofan Needs Assessment

The Enough Project published on 20 November 2014 a report titled "Life under Siege: South Kordofan Needs Assessment."  The study was conducted in August 2014 by anonymous researchers with access to rebel-held parts of Sudan's South Kordofan state.

Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N) have been in armed conflict in Sudan's South Kordofan state for more than three years.  The assessment provides a picture of the humanitarian needs in South Kordofan. 

Sudan/South Sudan: Looming Crisis in Abyei

The !Enough Project published on 13 March 2014 an analysis titled "Looming Crisis: Open Wounds in Abyei Increase Risk of New War" by Maiwen Dot Pheot.  The author writes that armed youth and dissatisfied cadres within the South Sudanese army in the area seem to be interested in provoking a confrontation, both with the nomadic Misseriya who graze their animals in Abyei and the Sudanese government. 

Enough Project Warns of Expanding War in Sudan

The Satellite Sentinel Project and Enough, based on satellite data, warn that the build-up of aerial assets across Sudan, particularly in El Obeid, Dilling and the surrounding area, signals a major military offensive against the Sudanese Revolutionary Front, which is trying to topple the government in Khartoum.  The satellite data has been published in a 22 November 2013 report titled "Situation Report: Expanding War in Sudan Threatens Civilians."

Sudan and South Sudan Troops Violate Demilitarized Zone

The Satellite Sentinel Project of Enough published a report in June 2013 titled "Troops in the Demilitarized Zone: Confirmation of Violations by Sudan and South Sudan."

The report, which includes imagery, concludes that the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) maintains military installations or checkpoints in at least nine locations along the border, while the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) have positions in at least five locations along the border, some with visible tanks and heavy artillery. 

Sudan: Major Reform or More War

The International Crisis Group (ICG) released on 29 November 2012 a report titled "Sudan: Major Reform or More War."

It concluded that the government in Khartoum is in crisis, faced with multiple challenges that, combined, profoundly threaten its existence and Sudan's stability.

ICG argued that the international community should learn the lessons of past failed settlement initiatives. Sudan needs a truly comprehensive peace agreement, not a partial settlement that serves the government's divide-and-rule tactics and perpetuates the unacceptable status quo. ICG wisely added that the National Congress Party (NCP) needs to be part of the transition.

Click here to read the analysis.

Conflict over Heglig, Sudan

The Sudan Small Arms Survey published a brief update on the fighting between Sudan and North Sudan at Heglig, the disputed oil-producing area generally considered a part of Sudan's South Kordofan State but also claimed by South Sudan as part of Unity State. The area contains Sudan's largest producing oil field. Click here to read the report. Click here for an excellent map of the Heglig area.