Key Facts
- Start date
- 15 April 2023
- States affected
- 5 (all Darfur states)
- Largest battles
- Battle of Geneina, Battle of Nyala
- Initial RSF capture
- Geneina, West Darfur
- Civilian toll
- Hundreds killed in early engagements
Strategic Narrative Overview
The offensive opened on 15 April 2023 in West Darfur, with RSF units rapidly capturing Geneina. The Battle of Geneina and the Battle of Nyala, the two largest engagements of the campaign, resulted in RSF victories and hundreds of civilian deaths between late April and early May 2023. Fighting subsequently spread across South, East, North, and Central Darfur, with the RSF consolidating control over major urban centres while Sudanese Armed Forces struggled to mount effective resistance.
01 / The Origins
The Darfur campaign emerged from escalating tensions between Sudan's national armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group rooted in the former Janjaweed militias. Long-standing power struggles over integration of the RSF into the regular army reached a breaking point in April 2023, triggering open warfare. Darfur, already scarred by earlier conflicts, became a principal theatre as the RSF moved quickly to seize key population centres across all five Darfur states.
03 / The Outcome
As of the available reporting, the conflict remains ongoing with no ceasefire or negotiated settlement in place. The RSF holds significant territorial gains across Darfur. The civilian population has suffered mass casualties and large-scale displacement, drawing international concern over humanitarian conditions and potential atrocity crimes. The ultimate military and political outcome of the campaign has not yet been determined.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.