For the residents of Khartoum, the harrowing reality of Sudan’s civil war is no longer measured only by the sound of artillery or the sight of drones overhead, but by the soil beneath their feet. As the conflict between the nation’s two most powerful military factions continues to tear the country apart, the capital city has been transformed into a fragmented landscape of makeshift burial sites.
With official cemeteries becoming inaccessible due to active fighting and shifting frontlines, grieving families have been forced to abandon traditional rites. Instead, they have resorted to burying their dead in whatever spare plots of land they can find—backyards, vacant lots, and street corners—effectively turning the urban center into a sprawling, unplanned city of graves.
This crisis of death and displacement is the result of a brutal power struggle that began on April 15, 2023, when the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) turned their weapons on one another. What started as a political rift between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF leader Hemedti has evolved into a humanitarian catastrophe of global proportions, leaving millions without food, shelter, or a dignified way to bury their dead.
The Battle for Khartoum: A Capital Under Siege
The struggle for control of the capital was defined by the Battle of Khartoum, a strategic conflict that lasted from April 15, 2023, until May 20, 2025 Wikipedia. The fighting erupted almost immediately after the RSF seized control of the Khartoum International Airport, several military bases, and the presidential palace.
The urban warfare that followed was devastating. The SAF utilized the 18th Infantry Division, the 9th Airborne Division, and various special forces battalions to reclaim the city. The RSF, characterized by its high mobility and use of armored personnel carriers, engaged in intense street-to-street combat. While the Battle of Khartoum ultimately resulted in a SAF victory, the cost to the city’s infrastructure and its people was staggering.
The human toll within the capital alone is grim. Records indicate more than 46,000 violent deaths and a total of 61,000 people killed during the battle for the city Wikipedia. Beyond the fatalities, the displacement was massive; by June 2024, approximately 3,664,988 people had been displaced from the area Wikipedia.
A Humanitarian Catastrophe of Global Scale
While the specific battle for the capital may have reached a conclusion in May 2025, the broader Sudan’s civil war continues to escalate in other regions. As the conflict enters its fourth year, the scale of the tragedy has grown far beyond the borders of Khartoum. A former U.S. Envoy for Sudan has suggested that as many as 400,000 people have been killed since the war began in April 2023 Council on Foreign Relations.
The displacement crisis is now considered the worst in the world. More than 11 million people have been forced from their homes, with over four million fleeing to unstable neighboring regions in Chad, Ethiopia, and South Sudan Council on Foreign Relations. This mass exodus has overwhelmed refugee camps and created a precarious situation for millions of vulnerable civilians.
The war has also triggered what is described as the world’s largest hunger crisis. Currently, more than 30 million people in Sudan require humanitarian assistance Council on Foreign Relations. The World Food Programme has warned that time is running out to prevent widespread famine as food security continues to deteriorate across the country.
Summary of the Conflict’s Impact
| Metric | Estimated Figure | Source/Context |
|---|---|---|
| Total Estimated Deaths | Up to 400,000 | Former U.S. Envoy (CFR) |
| Total Displaced Persons | 11+ Million | Global Conflict Tracker |
| People Needing Aid | 30+ Million | UN/WFP (CFR) |
| Khartoum Battle Deaths | 61,000 | Wikipedia |
Fragile Truces and Shifting Frontlines
International efforts to broker peace have largely failed to produce a lasting ceasefire. Recently, the RSF claimed to have agreed to a U.S.-backed humanitarian truce proposal. Still, these promises have not translated to stability on the ground. In the wake of the RSF’s capture of El-Fasher—the army’s last major stronghold in western Darfur—the paramilitary forces appear to be shifting their strategic focus eastward CBS News.
This shift has brought renewed tension to the capital. Despite a period of relative calm after the SAF regained control of Khartoum, reports of explosions and drone activity have resurfaced. Residents in Omdurman and Atbara have reported hearing explosions near military bases and power stations, as well as seeing drones over their cities, some of which were reportedly shot down by anti-aircraft defenses CBS News.
The inability of the leaders of the SAF and RSF to halt the violence, combined with the tendency of regional and international actors to take sides, has left the Sudanese people in a state of perpetual peril. The “city of graves” in Khartoum serves as a grim monument to the human cost of this deadlock.
What Happens Next
The immediate focus for the international community remains the push for a humanitarian truce to allow aid to reach the 30 million people in need. While the RSF has expressed a willingness to engage with U.S.-backed proposals, the continued fighting in the Kordofan region and the renewed threats toward Khartoum suggest that a comprehensive peace agreement remains elusive.
The next critical checkpoint will be the outcome of ongoing mediation efforts to establish safe corridors for humanitarian aid and the potential for a formal ceasefire that includes both the SAF, and RSF. Until such an agreement is reached and enforced, the residents of Sudan continue to face the dual threats of starvation and unending violence.
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