Sudan’s Civil War: Internal Dynamics and External Drivers

A brutal power struggle between Sudan’s army, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and a paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), plunged the country into a tragic civil war three years ago. By even the most conservative estimates, the fighting has claimed more than 150,000 lives and forced at least 12 million from their homes. Yet the Sudanese war has stayed neither localized nor isolated — not only has it created a massive regional refugee crisis but also drew in outside powers seeking to influence its outcome. External interference, driven by interest in Sudan’s geography and rich resources, continues to fuel the conflict, as competing efforts at international mediation efforts have yet to bring the war any closer to an end. What is the current situation on the ground in Sudan? How has regional competition shaped the direction of the civil war? And is there a way out of the conflict?

To assess the war and its wider ramifications, the Middle East Institute invites you to join a discussion with Dr. Suliman Baldo, and Jehanne Henry. This discussion will be moderated by MEI Senior Fellow, Mirette F. Mabrouk.

Speaker Biographies

Dr. Suliman Baldo
Executive Director, Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker

Jehanne Henry
Sudan Director, The Reckoning Project; Adjunct Professor, Columbia University Law School

Mirette F. Mabrouk (Moderator)
Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute

Extended Speaker Biographies

Dr. Suliman Baldo is a widely recognized expert on conflict resolution, emergency relief, development and human rights in Africa and on international advocacy related to these issues. He has worked extensively in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan and travelled throughout the rest of the African continent.

Jehanne Henry is a human rights lawyer and researcher with a particular focus on Sudan and South Sudan. She is a former director in the Africa division of Human Rights Watch, responsible for work on Sudan and South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, Chad and Mali. She is the Sudan director at The Reckoning Project and an adjunct at Columbia Law School.

Mirette F. Mabrouk (Moderator) is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI), where she focuses on economic development, regional security, and sustainable development issues in the Middle East and North Africa. Prior to joining MEI, Ms. Mabrouk served as the Deputy Director and Director for Research and Programs at the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council.