The massacre in Darfur, and how it reflects Africa’s corrupt leaders

The massacre in Darfur is a prime example of the corrupt leadership and political issues happening in Africa.

According to Julia Steers, a correspondent for Fault Lines, in 2019 Sudan’s president of 30 years, Omar Al-Bashir, was ousted. He was replaced by a traditional council led by two generals, one from the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the other from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The leader of the SAF is General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the leader of the RSF is Mohammad Hamdon Degalo, otherwise known as Hemedti.

In 2023, this council failed to transition to civilian rule, and these two groups’ generals became rivals. A civil war began, and one fourth of the population fled for refugee camps in other parts of Africa. Darfur, while rich in resources, was split in two.

Al Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, was controlled by the Sudan Armed Forces. In late 2024, the RSF began to take control of Al Fasher and surrounded the city. By October of 2025, the RSF surrounded the city, cutting off supplies and leading to mass starvation. At this time, there were 260,000people that remained in El Fasher. On October 26, the RSF started executing people and approximately 6,000 were killed. So far, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, 150,000 to 400,000 deaths occurred because of this conflict.

“When the army enters a neighborhood, they assume all civilians are RSF supporters. If you survive their bombs, they will kill you,” said Amal Hattoun, Khartoum trader and evacuee.

Amal’s description paints a very dire picture of the conflict between the RSF and the SAF. Currently, the area of Darfur is a nearly uninhabitable portion of Sudan, but the whole country is struggling to survive the utterly inhuman assault on innocent lives.

According to Emiliano Bos, a reporter from Journeyman Pictures, the RSF is linked to tribes of Arabian origin. The conflict turned into an ethnic war between the different African races, and the RSF is propagandizing the war to show a semblance of normalcy for those that remain.

According to Bos, 20 million people are at risk. While the U.S. and some European nations are trying to send supplies, it is difficult for those supplies to reach the people in need due to the RSF rejecting supplies and difficult terrain. The huge humanitarian needs in Sudan are weighed down by cuts in assistance. Switzerland and the EU stated that there are gross human violations, as no government has yet to be formed while the power struggle continues. Several parties accuse the paramilitary of interference and aid management, but the paramilitary rejects these accusations .

The United Nations calls this the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. This is due to war crimes, ethnic violence and genocide. The UN estimates that there are 34 million people in need of humanitarian help. Some of the main questions from the United Nations are about the underreported nature of the massacre and why the world is failing to stop suffering.

The selfish actions of the Al-Burhon and Degalo caused a collective destruction of an entire nation. They are performing similarly to some of the worst dictators in history based on ethnic and cultural differences, and their actions are just for control over Sudan. The nature of this unrecognised struggle, which is hidden by other major international conflicts, is concerning. Professor Joy Ngozi Ezielo, an expert member of the Sudan fact-finding mission for the UN, states that serious crimes involved include killing, destroyed infrastructure, no access to medical support, no access to food, sexual violations against women, attacks on protected populations and the forced military recruitment of children.

Imagine growing up in a world where you likely will be brutally killed and exploited by your own country. Many don’t even get the chance to survive infancy. Too many families have been annihilated mindlessly just because of their race, and too many children will experience some of the worst suffering imaginable because of poor leadership.