Sudanese Armed Forces

Sudan’s national military, comprising its army, air force, and other branches. It has repeatedly shaped the country’s politics through coups, military governments, and conflict.

Sudanese civil war (2023–present): An armed conflict in Sudan that began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. The SAF’s struggle to defeat the RSF has turned this rivalry into a nationwide war.
Sudan Defence Force: A military force established under British rule to serve in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. It was the principal institutional predecessor of Sudan’s post-independence armed forces.
Omar al-Bashir: A Sudanese military officer who ruled Sudan from 1989 until his removal in 2019. He seized power in a coup and relied on military institutions throughout his rule.
First Sudanese Civil War: A conflict between Sudan’s government and southern insurgents that lasted from 1955 to 1972. The SAF’s campaign against southern rebels helped define the new state’s first major conflict.
Sudan Police Force: Sudan’s national civilian law-enforcement institution. Unlike the SAF, it is principally tasked with policing rather than national military defense.
Rapid Support Forces: A Sudanese paramilitary force that became a major rival to the national army. Its separate command and competing claim to military power precipitated the 2023 war.
Sudanese independence: Sudan’s transition to sovereignty from Anglo-Egyptian rule, completed on 1 January 1956. Independence transformed colonial military institutions into the armed forces of a sovereign state.
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo: A Sudanese commander known as Hemedti who led the Rapid Support Forces. His authority over a rival force made him the SAF’s principal military adversary.
Second Sudanese Civil War: A war between Sudan’s government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army from 1983 to 2005. The SAF fought a long campaign that ended with a peace agreement and set South Sudan’s independence in motion.
Sudanese intelligence services: Sudan’s state agencies responsible for intelligence and internal security. Their surveillance and security roles overlap politically with the SAF but differ from its military mission.

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