Sudan’s 2025 Chronicle: A War without End and Mounting Pressure for Peace

Moatinoon Follow up
Source: Altrsawt
As dawn broke on the final day of 2025, Sudan’s war marked 990 days since its outbreak on 15 April 2023. The year that has just passed witnessed significant developments on multiple fronts, foremost among them major shifts in the military landscape and changes in territorial control between the warring parties. It also saw political and humanitarian developments, along with growing international pressure to halt the fighting and protect civilians—while Sudanese civil, artistic, and sporting life persisted despite the roar of gunfire. These and many other events were documented by Ultra Sawt.

Shifts in the Military Landscape
One of the most notable developments of 2025 was the dramatic change in the map of military control. After the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had made substantial gains from the outbreak of the war through the end of 2024—seizing control of the capital Khartoum, Gezira State, Sennar State in central Sudan, and parts of White Nile State—a major shift occurred on the ground.

In January 2025, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) regained control of Wad Madani, the capital of Gezira State, in a move widely seen as a strategic turning point that restored a vital economic and population center to army control. About two months earlier, the army had retaken Singah, the capital of Sennar State, from the RSF.

In March, the army continued its advance, recapturing the Presidential Palace, Khartoum International Airport, and several key sovereign government buildings. This trajectory culminated in May 2025 with the announcement that Khartoum State had been cleared of RSF forces, more than two years after the latter had taken control of most of the state.

Conversely, after a siege that began in May 2024, RSF forces managed to seize El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State and the last major city in Darfur still held by the Sudanese army and its allied forces, on 26 October 2025. With this advance, the RSF extended its control over most of the Darfur region and its main cities, with only limited areas remaining outside its grip.

Approximately six weeks after capturing El Fasher, the RSF announced that it had stormed the headquarters of the 22nd Infantry Division in Babanusa, one of the most important cities in West Kordofan State. This development effectively consolidated RSF control over West Kordofan, while it continued to hold parts of South and North Kordofan.

The Political Scene
Following a prolonged political impasse that began with his coup against the civilian partner in the transitional government on 25 October 2021, the Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, appointed Dr. Kamil Idris as Prime Minister of the army-led transitional government in May 2025.

In July of the same year, the Sudan Founding Alliance, known by its Arabic acronym Ta’sis, announced the formation of a presidential council for a rival transitional government, headed by RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). During a meeting in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, the alliance selected Mohamed al-Ta’ayshi as Prime Minister of the transitional government. Abdelaziz Adam al-Hilu, leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North, was appointed Vice President of the presidential council.

Throughout the year, efforts continued to bring together Sudan’s political forces to reach common ground on a vision for civilian governance in the post-war period. However, these initiatives enter the new year still stalled and unresolved.

International Pressure and the Quartet
International pressure to declare a truce and protect civilians persisted throughout 2025. During the year, the UN Security Council continued to address the Sudan crisis largely by extending existing resolutions, without adopting major new legal measures.

The most significant actions included the renewal of international sanctions against parties to the conflict, encompassing arms embargoes, asset freezes, and travel bans targeting individuals accused of serious violations or of obstructing peace efforts. The Council emphasized that these sanctions were directed at specific individuals and entities, not at the Sudanese state as a whole.

The Security Council also extended the mandate of the UN Panel of Experts, responsible for monitoring sanctions implementation, documenting violations, and submitting regular reports—thereby keeping Sudan under continued international legal scrutiny.

In political statements with legal implications, the Council rejected any attempts to establish parallel governments in Sudan, reaffirming its commitment to the country’s unity and its rejection of power changes by force, though without issuing a binding resolution.

Despite repeated warnings about violations against civilians and the deteriorating humanitarian situation, no UN resolution in 2025 imposed a binding ceasefire, authorized the deployment of peacekeeping forces, or permitted the use of force.

In September 2025, the International Quartet on Sudan was formed, comprising the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. The quartet was officially announced on 12 September 2025 in a joint statement by the foreign ministers of the four countries, affirming coordination to end the war in Sudan, support a comprehensive political solution, ensure humanitarian access, and protect civilians.

The quartet aims to apply unified diplomatic pressure on the parties to the conflict, push for a ceasefire, and initiate a political process leading to the restoration of civilian rule in Sudan.

The Humanitarian Crisis
The humanitarian crisis deepened as a direct consequence of escalating military operations throughout 2025, particularly following the fall of El Fasher and Babanusa, and the continuation of fighting in South Kordofan.

In November, Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, visited Darfur—the first visit by a senior UN official to the region. The visit came amid UN warnings that conditions in Sudan were worsening, with more than 21 million people—around 45% of the population—facing acute food insecurity after more than two and a half years of conflict.

In a related development, Sudan once again topped the Global Emergency Watchlist issued by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), amid an ongoing conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Sudan was followed in the ranking by the Palestinian territories, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Haiti.

This marked the third consecutive year Sudan has led the list, which highlights the 20 countries most at risk of new or worsening humanitarian emergencies.

In a statement, IRC President and CEO David Miliband said:
“What the IRC is witnessing on the ground is not an isolated tragedy. The world is not merely failing to respond to the crisis—its actions and words are contributing to its escalation and prolongation.”

He added:
“The scale of Sudan’s crisis, which has topped the watchlist for the third year in a row and has now become the largest humanitarian crisis ever recorded, is proof of this failure.”

Emergency Response Rooms
Despite the grim humanitarian conditions caused by the war, 2025 saw notable bright spots, particularly the international recognition of Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), reinforcing the role of local voluntary humanitarian action as an effective partner to international organizations.

Among the most prominent achievements was the Sudanese Emergency Response Rooms Network winning the Right Livelihood Award 2025, a prestigious international prize honoring initiatives for social change and humanitarian action. The award recognized the ERRs’ role in saving lives and delivering essential services amid bombardment and state collapse.

Previously, the network had received the Chatham House Prize 2025, the Rafto Prize 2025, the Richard C. Holbrooke Award for International Advocacy 2025, and the European Union Human Rights Award 2025.

The network was also nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize during 2024–2025 by the Oslo-based Peace Research Institute. In addition, AidEx nominated Al-Senousi Adam, External Communications Coordinator of Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms, for the 2025 Humanitarian Hero of the Year Award.

The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity was also awarded to Sudanese physician Dr. Jamal al-Tayeb, who continued working inside Khartoum under extremely dangerous conditions—an international acknowledgment of individual civilian heroism in the face of war.

Sports and the Arts
The ongoing war did not halt Sudanese efforts to persevere in sports, arts, and literature. Throughout 2025, Sudanese communities in exile sustained cultural activities that amplified Sudan’s voice and exposed the war’s impact through cinema and visual arts.

Sudanese films—or films related to Sudan—achieved notable success at international festivals, winning awards in 2025, most notably:

“The Cotton Queen”, directed by Suzannah Mirghani, won the Golden Alexander Award for Best Film at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Greece—the festival’s top prize. The film also received the Audience Award at the Doha Film Festival, according to recent cinema reports.

“Sudan, Remember Us”, a documentary by Hind Meddeb highlighting the Sudanese revolution and social transformations following the fall of President Omar al-Bashir, won the Grand Prize at the Aswan International Women Film Festival 2025. The film also screened prominently at festivals such as Venice and Toronto, receiving wide critical acclaim.

“About Love and the September Laws” by Mohamed Kordofani was among the winners at the Red Sea Market Awards 2025, a professional artistic event within the Red Sea International Film Festival honoring cinematic projects and creative works.

In literature, Sudanese-Scottish writer Leila Aboulela won the PEN Pinter Prize 2025, a prestigious award granted to writers who combine literary merit with humanitarian commitment. The award carried special significance amid the war, once again spotlighting Sudanese literature in English as a border-crossing body of work capable of addressing global readers from an ethical and human standpoint—not merely from the position of victimhood.

Visual arts also remained present, with Sudanese artists participating in European and international exhibitions addressing war, memory, and displacement. Artist Moataz Mukhtar received recognition and nominations in global art competitions, including the Luxembourg Art Prize.

In sports, despite the near-total collapse of Sudan’s domestic sports infrastructure, Sudanese athletes took part in various international and regional competitions—particularly in football, swimming, and athletics. Although results were limited, these participations carried strong symbolic value, maintaining Sudan’s presence in major global sporting arenas.