Sudan timeline October-December 2025: ‘A collective failure’ to end a brutal war
Young protester waves the Sudan flag as traffic comes to a standstill in central London (Photo: Amgad Abdelgadir / RD)
Sudan’s battlefield map shifts significantly in the second half of 2025, marking one of the most notable territorial changes since the war began in April 2023. As the conflict enters its third year in 2026, analysts warn that the country has entered a new phase, with serious humanitarian and political implications.
The country continues to face a devastating war marked by widespread violence, reports of atrocities, famine conditions in several regions, and an increasingly restrictive political environment. The conflict has generated what the United Nations (UN) describes as the world’s largest displacement crisis, with millions forced to flee their homes inside Sudan and across borders. Humanitarian access remains severely limited in many areas.
The fighting continues between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Lieutenant General Abdelfattah El Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti. The SAF and Sovereignty Council, central to Sudan’s political life, is currently governed by a military leadership. The RSF originated from militias active in Darfur and West Kordofan, later gaining influence while allied with the army before breaking away in 2023, triggering the current war.
Observers say the conflict is driven by competition over power and economic resources, alongside political and ideological factors and long-standing ethnic tensions. After nearly three years of fighting and heavy casualties, the war has increasingly taken on characteristics of a protracted and retaliatory conflict.
Regional and international actors continue to influence developments on the ground. Egypt and Turkey have expressed political support for the SAF, while Iran previously provided military assistance before suspending it. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been repeatedly accused by international observers and media of supporting the RSF with military equipment, allegations it denies.
The RSF’s takeover of El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, in October, following months of fighting, marks a major setback for the SAF. Subsequent clashes in West Kordofan, including the loss of the Heglig oil field in December, highlight a shift toward competition over strategic resources rather than urban centres.
As the war approaches its thousandth day, reports of violations against civilians continue. Punters warn that Sudan risks sliding toward de facto partition, with contested frontlines across central and western regions.
Speaking to Radio Dabanga, Fatima Issa of the Bahri Resistance Committees says that Sudan’s youth and peaceful popular movement remain central to stopping the war, achieving a comprehensive and sustainable peace, and restoring democratic civilian rule. Activist Maysoun Ali explains that the Sudanese people’s outpouring of support to commemorate the December 2018 revolution, a massive, peaceful civil movement that brought about the end of the Al Bashir regime, is proof that their spirit has not died.
October sees intensified fighting, renewed accountability efforts, and limited diplomatic movement, as the RSF advances militarily and humanitarian conditions deteriorate further. The RSF escalates drone strikes and ground operations across Khartoum and the Darfur and Kordofan regions, with El Fasher a central objective. Despite initial denials, El Burhan confirms the city’s fall on 27 October, amid widespread reports of killings, displacement, and attacks on hospitals and humanitarian workers. Reports highlight the RSF’s extensive economic interests in gold, livestock, banking, and construction, underscoring the role of resource control in the conflict. The International Criminal Court (ICC) conviction of Ali Muhammad Ali Abdelrahman, known as ‘Ali Kushayb’, of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur is welcomed by displaced communities and renews calls for accountability. Diplomatic efforts re-emerge when the Quartet countries meet in Washington to push for a temporary ceasefire. Continued fighting and worsening disease outbreaks, however, limit prospects for immediate relief.
October 1: Prime Minister Kamil Idris announces a $100 billion package of investment projects proposed to Saudi Arabia, as well as a fresh review of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) with Ethiopia and Egypt.
October 2: The Sentry publishes a new report exposing an RSF “paramilitary-industrial complex” in gold mining, livestock, abattoirs, construction, tourism, and banking.
October 3: The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports 1.7 million malaria cases and 117 deaths this year to date.
October 5: Teachers continue to fight for the essentials they have “long been denied” on World Teachers Day, as the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) calls for stronger partnerships.
October 6: The ICC convicts Ali Kushayb on 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur from 2003 to 2004, “beyond reasonable doubt.” A renewed RSF assault on El Fasher, North Darfur, kills 13 amid reports of chemical weapons use, as the paramilitary force intensifies its arrest campaign of civilians, teachers, and local officials in South Darfur.
October 7: In an interview with Radio Dabanga, Former Minister of Finance Ibrahim El Badawi says that “any military settlement will reproduce the Sudan crisis.” Sudan has successfully contained cholera in some states, but continues to battle major outbreaks of dengue fever and malaria, reports the Federal Emergency Operations Centre.
October 9: A France 24 investigation finds that the SAF used chemical weapons during two airstrikes on the El Jeili oil refinery, northeast of Khartoum, in September 2024. RSF-allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North led by Abdelaziz El Hilu (SPLM-N El Hilu), redeploys its fighters from El Fasher to its traditional stronghold in South Kordofan.
October 10: On World Mental Health Day, the psychological distress experienced by those who are affected by humanitarian emergencies in Sudan is highlighted.
October 11: At least 20 civilians are killed in an SAF air raid on a social event in El Koma, North Darfur. Ammar Daldoum, secretary-general of SPLM-N El Hilu and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the RSF-backed Sudan Founding Alliance (Tasees) government, says “our arrival in Port Sudan is only a matter of time.”
October 12: Displacement camps across the Darfur region stage peaceful marches in support of the conviction of Ali Kushayb. Emergency room volunteers and revolutionary resistance committees face cyberwar as their online activity and communication are constantly monitored.
October 13: The Federal Ministry of Health reports 611 cholera cases in 15 states, with North and South Kordofan, South Darfur, and Central and East Darfur among the worst affected.
October 14: The RSF resumes drone strikes in Northern, Khartoum, and White Nile states, killing two Sudan Shield Forces members (allied with the SAF), in retaliation for SAF airstrikes in Darfur. Professor Eric Reeves dissects the role of the US in aid, food, and famine in Sudan.
October 15: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and El Burhan meet in Cairo to discuss the escalating conflict, dire humanitarian situation, and growing international push for peace. For the second day in a row, RSF drones strike Khartoum, killing civilians and soldiers.
October 16: About 830 individuals are displaced from Bout town, Blue Nile state, and El Mazrub village, North Kordofan, due to heightened insecurity. Sudan has seen an unusually high number of malaria cases this year, a WHO spokesperson tells The Telegraph.
October 19: Egypt and the European Union call for a ceasefire as anti-corruption leaders convene in Uganda. Heavy artillery and drone strikes hit Kadugli, South Kordofan, and El Obeid, North Kordofan, as health facilities are on the brink of collapse. The SAF carries out air and drone strikes in El Geneina, capital of West Darfur, and Saraf Umra, North Darfur.
October 20: An RSF drone strike kills dozens of newly enlisted SAF soldiers at a military training facility in North Kordofan capital, El Obeid. SAF drone strikes reportedly hit RSF positions in Korma and Kabkabiya in North Darfur.
October 21: RSF drones reportedly target Khartoum International Airport one day before its reopening. El Burhan vows to “eliminate the RSF.” A new outbreak of dengue fever is reported in Nyala, South Darfur. The Sudanese pound suffers as the UAE de facto flight ban disrupts the vital gold trade, according to Sudanese officials.
October 23: The El Fasher Resistance Committees Coordination report the “horrific” massacre of sick and wounded patients of the city’s Saudi Hospital by “Janjaweed militiamen.”
October 24: The Quartet countries meet in Washington D.C. to ramp up pressure on a three-month ceasefire which would allow humanitarian aid to reach Sudanese civlians.
October 25: Ahmed Kadouda, Technical Advisor at the Impact Policy Group (IPG), warns of the imminent failure of supply lines of aid.
October 26: The RSF claims full control of El Fasher, sparking swift denial from the SAF and Popular Resistance Committees in North Darfur. The North Darfur Emergency Rooms Council accuses the RSF of committing genocide.
October 27: El Burhan confirms the fall of El Fasher to the RSF, amid reports of mass killings, displacement, and widespread abuses. Five Sudanese Red Crescent humanitarian volunteers are killed in the city of Bara, North Kordofan.
October 29: Conflicts of interest confound the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS), with the owners of gold export companies on the one hand and influential leaders in the country on the other.
October 30: The UN Security Council holds an emergency session to address the rapidly deteriorating situation in El Fasher, amid fierce condemnation of RSF atrocities and demands for immediate humanitarian access. The ICC trial of Ali Kushayb is an indictment of the Al Bashir regime and the SAF, writes Amal Mohammed Al-Hassan of Al-Taghyeer.
October 31: The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports 29,147 cholera cases and 852 deaths between 22 July and 31 October, as the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) reports 27,000 civilians and 45 humanitarians killed since the war broke out. “The accountability for what is happening is, ultimately, a collective failure,” says Jean-Nicolas Armstrong-Dangelser, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Senior Operations Advisor.
November is marked by mounting evidence of atrocities, deepening famine, and intensified diplomatic manoeuvring, as fighting continues across Darfur and Kordofan. UK-based Sudanese activists stage direct action in London, protesting alleged foreign involvement in the war, while journalists inside Sudan face disappearances, arrests, and killings. The ICC confirms it is collecting new evidence from El Fasher, later requesting a life sentence for convicted war crimes suspect Ali Kushayb, as satellite imagery and survivor testimonies point to mass killings, empty markets, and body disposal. Famine is confirmed in El Fasher and Kadugli, as displacement surges and aid access remains constrained. Heavy fighting centres on Babanousa, the SAF’s last stronghold in West Kordofan, while battles rage across North and West Kordofan. Diplomatically, the RSF signals openness to a Quartet-backed ceasefire and later announces a unilateral humanitarian truce, while the SAF rejects the initiative and accuses international actors of seeking to divide Sudan. Allegations of chemical weapons use resurface late in the month, further escalating international concern.
November 2: A demonstration against alleged UK–UAE involvement in the Sudan war blocks 10 Downing Street in London, as Aisha Hamad, a specialist in gender, development, and peacebuilding, says that the essence of the war in Sudan “is much deeper than a mere competition for governance.” On International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, the statistics for Sudan are disproportionately grim.
November 3: The ICC confirms it is gathering evidence of the latest atrocities in El Fasher.
November 4: Global pressure mounts as world leaders, diplomats, and UN officials call for an urgent halt to the violence in El Fasher. Famine is confirmed in the state capital, as well as in Kadugli.
November 5: The Freedom Secretariat of the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate laments that of 20 media professionals who were operating in El Fasher before the RSF seized control of the city, they have “completely lost [contact] with seven journalists, whose fate remains unknown.”
November 6: The RSF accepts the Quartet ceasefire terms as the SAF digs in. The new SDG 2,000 banknote reflects “a dual and contradictory monetary policy,” says financial analyst Ahmed Ben Omar.
November 10: The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reports that 88,892 people were displaced between October 26 and November 9 from El Fasher and surrounding areas. A ‘Hold Before You Send It’ session explores how social media shapes realities in conflict-affected communities.
November 11: During their visit to Port Sudan, Senior UN officials press for humanitarian access, as the government rejects the Quartet ceasefire. UN Women warns that rape is being “used intentionally and systematically” in Sudan, where hunger and displacement deepen daily.
November 12: Heavy fighting erupts between the SAF and RSF around the besieged city of Babanousa, the SAF’s last remaining stronghold in West Kordofan.
November 14: El Burhan renews calls for mass mobilisation during his speech in El Seriha, El Gezira.
November 15: The SAF retakes strategic areas in North Kordofan, thereby securing the state capital, El Obeid, which, for many analysts, is seen as the gateway to securing military victory.
November 16: Intense fighting between the SAF and RSF erupts again in Babanousa, as the Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty urges Washington to support a coordinated humanitarian truce. The Quartet initiative to end the war reveals a virtual absence of women’s participation in negotiation processes in Sudan.
November 17: ICC prosecutors request a life sentence for convicted Ali Kushayb. Displaced people from El Fasher find safety in Qarni, a few kilometres northwest of the capital, after “going through hell.” Sudanese human rights activist Dawaa El Hussein and UN Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher highlight the ongoing atrocities in the state capital.
November 18: Battles rage in North and West Kordofan, with both sides of the war claiming victory. Former Sudanese Prime Minister and head of the Forces of Freedom and Change Alliance, Abdallah Hamdok, calls on the Sudan army to welcome a Quartet-brokered ceasefire.
November 19: Those fleeing El Fasher describe violent attacks and scenes of panic and terror as they left, following the RSF siege. US President Donald Trump’s vow to personally intervene to end the war, following a request from Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is welcomed by El Burhan.
November 20: The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) publishes testimonies of the RSF siege of Barah, North Kordofan, between October 24 and 25. Over 243 pregnant women have arrived at displaced camps in North Darfur and Northern State, some of whom suffered miscarriages during their displacement.
November 21: New Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) satellite evidence shows “empty markets” and “ongoing body disposal” in El Fasher in the first half of November. The largest aid consignment by an international organisation since March arrives in Port Sudan.
November 22: The Libyan Humanitarian Foundation announces a campaign to provide urgent assistance to Sudanese refugees in the country.
November 23: El Burhan accuses the Quartet and the US’s Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos, of “seeking to divide Sudan.”
November 24: Hemedti announces the RSF’s agreement to a three-month humanitarian truce, saying they will halt fighting to allow aid to reach civilians.
November 25: The IOM reports that 39,725 people were displaced from North Kordofan between October 25 and November 18, as Amnesty International publishes testimonials of survivors who escaped El Fasher last month. The MSF withdraws from Zalingei hospital in Central Darfur for the second time this year following a shooting incident.
November 26: As the US revives allegations against the Sudanese government of the use of chemical weapons, the National Umma Party (NUP) denounces a court decision sentencing Nazir Mamoun Habani to death. The SMF expresses deep concern for the fierce campaign waged by the Sudanese authorities and their judicial bodies against a number of journalists.
November 27: The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate (SJS) reports it has documented 32 deaths and 556 violations against media workers since war broke out in April 2023.
November 28: Lt Gen Yasir El Atta, Sovereignty Council member and SAF Deputy Commander-in-Chief, vows to stage a coup against civilian authorities if they win, stoking outcry.
November 29: Bakri El Jack, spokesperson for the Sumud alliance, warns that El Burhan is steering the country toward fragmentation by insisting on a battlefield outcome.
November 30: In Newcastle, UK, human-rights activist Mohamed Elnour is assaulted for critiquing the SAF while speaking at a demonstration against the war in Sudan.
December brings renewed evidence of abuses and worsening humanitarian conditions amid ongoing conflict. The RSF claims control of Babanousa and the Heglig oil field, declaring the latter a turning point, while South Sudanese forces move into Heglig under a tripartite agreement. The Sudanese government reportedly offers Russia its first African naval base, raising regional security concerns. Damning reports surface throughout the month. Amnesty International documents deliberate RSF attacks on civilians in Zamzam camp, and the Yale HRL confirms RSF mass killings in El Fasher. A CNN investigation accuses the SAF of ethnic targeting in El Gezira. Attacks on aid convoys and UN peacekeepers escalate, including a deadly drone strike on a UN camp in Kadugli. The World Food Programme (WFP) warns of drastic ration cuts in 2026 amid worsening famine. As the year closes, Sudan’s arts scene, including rap and film, reflect the country’s turmoil. Analysts warn of deepening economic and security crises, stressing urgent international action.
December 1: The RSF claims control of Babanousa, the last SAF stronghold in West Kordofan, as Dutch MP Sarah Dobbe urges intensified efforts to stop the war in Sudan. The Wall Street Journal reveals that the Sudanese government has offered Russia its first naval base on the African continent.
December 2: UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says that Sudan requires a “global push” for peace, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that Trump is “the only leader in the world capable of resolving the Sudan crisis.”
December 3: An Amnesty International report documents how the RSF deliberately killed civilians, took hostages, pillaged and destroyed buildings in Zamzam camp, North Darfur, between April 11 and 13, as the Sudanese government laments that the country only has 22 psychiatrists.
December 4: A WFP convoy travelling to Tawila, North Darfur, is attacked in Hamrat El Sheikh, North Kordofan. The Exiled Human Rights Defenders Group reports on the extent of violations by SAF and RSF in the Sudan war.
December 5: An aid truck is destroyed, and 20 civilians are killed, as drones strike a market in Adikon near the Sudan–Chad border.
December 6: High costs delay the repatriation of Sudanese refugees from Uganda. Activists say that Kadugli, capital of South Kordofan, faces mass displacement amid the complete collapse of services.
December 7: “El Burhan is playing with fire” by reopening the file concerning a Russian military base, says military and security expert Maj Gen Hashem Abu Rannat. Between January 2024 and October 2025, 40 per cent of individuals returned to Sudan due to improved security at their place of origin, according to an IOM report.
December 8: The RSF claims Heglig oil field, West Kordofan, declaring the move a turning point in their campaign. Meanwhile, China starts its withdrawal from Sudan’s faltering oil sector. An SAF drone strike on Kutayla town, South Darfur, kills at least 80 people.
December 9: The ICC sentences Ali Kushayb to 20 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in 2003 and 2004. In Khartoum, a civilian dies under torture inside SAF detention facilities.
December 10: The Ayin Network wins the 2025 Dutch Human Rights Tulip award, for its extensive use of video evidence to expose human rights abuses in Sudan. The IOM estimates that 80 per cent fewer people were displaced due to natural hazards in 2025 compared to 2024; of those displaced, approximately 12 per cent were already displaced due to conflict.
December 11: The South Sudanese army moves into Heglig oil field after a tripartite deal to “completely neutralise” the area from combat.
December 12: The WFP warns that drastic ration cuts will start in 2026 to “the absolute minimum for survival.”
December 13: A drone strike hits a UN camp in Kadugli, killing Bangladeshi peacekeepers and injuring eight others. In Abu Dhabi, Egyptian and UAE foreign ministers discuss the need for close coordination with the Quartet to end the war in Sudan.
December 14: A drone strike hits a hospital in Delling, South Kordofan, killing seven civilians and injuring 12 others.
December 15: El Burhan meets Saudi crown prince to “restore stability” as regional efforts intensify to halt Sudan’s war, as Sudan tops the global humanitarian crisis index for the third year in a row.
December 16: The Yale HRL lab confirms RSF mass killings and cover-up in El Fasher on October 26. A CNN and Lighthouse Reports investigation indicates that the SAF campaign in El Gezira from October 2024 to May this year “constitutes ethnic targeting.”
December 18: 234 medical workers have been killed since the war in Sudan began, says the Sudan Doctors Network. Meanwhile, new evidence of widespread sexual violence in Darfur is revealed.
December 21: Aid agencies warn of worsening humanitarian and health crises. 107,294 people have been forced to flee El Fasher and surrounding villages, according to IOM.
December 22: Prime Minister Idris presents to the UN Security Council, proposing an end to the conflict based on a ceasefire, the disarmament of the RSF, and the pursuit of justice and reconciliation. Darfur victims express divided opinions over Ali Kushayb’s 20-year ICC sentence.
December 23: Tasees dismisses Prime Minister Idris’s UN peace initiative. Over 58,000 people are reported to be displaced amidst ongoing violence in South Kordofan. Uganda’s Kiriyandongo camp hosts 400 Sudanese refugees with disabilities, the majority of whom have been injured in the war.
December 24: The RSF and Tasees claim control of Abu Gamra and Um Baru in North Darfur, killing over 200 people, as a tragic roundup of the war in numbers is published to mark the end of another year of conflict. “There is no point in pursuing any political agreement that does not first bring an end to the war in Sudan,” according to Sudanese Communist Party member Neamat Koko.
December 26: Over 7,000 people are displaced from the Ambro and Karnoi areas of North Darfur following a week of RSF attacks.
December 27: The SAF accuses the RSF of attacking El Tina army base in Chad, killing two Chadian soldiers. Meanwhile, in New Halfa, Kassala, police disperse a brawl following a court verdict. Professor Amani Al-Tawil affirms that Egypt’s red line in Sudan is centred on protecting the unity of the state and preventing its fragmentation.
December 28: Sudan beats Equatorial Guinea in the Africa Cup of Nations. Radio Dabanga publishes deep dives into Sudanese rap and the state of the arts, as the Youth Citizens Observers Network (YCON) reports that social media is an active political arena for tribal discourse, hate speech, and racism.
December 29: El Burhan’s visit to Turkey sparks concern amid an escalating internal crisis of economic collapse and deteriorating security and military conditions.
December 30: Sheldon Yett, representative for UNICEF in Sudan, says displaced children “are facing extremely difficult conditions,” as the US expresses “deep concern” over El Burhan’s dismissal of calls for a ceasefire.
December 31: “The city is recovering, but it will never be the same again,” says Khartoum (2025) film co-director Rawia Alhag. A Radio Dabanga report examines the impact of the restriction of transportation of goods to western Sudanese states. Sudan loses 0-2 to Burkina Faso in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Previous timelines
Sudan timeline July-September 2025: Daily attacks, disease, and disaster obscure plans for peace
Sudan timeline April-June 2025: Bleak hope emerges against bloody reality of conflict
Sudan timeline January-March 2025: Power shifts as army wins major battle grounds in destructive war
Sudan timeline October-December 2024: Reports of famine and calls for peace overshadowed by war
Sudan timeline July-September 2024: Thousands starving as war continues without mercy
Sudan timeline April-June 2024: Sudan war ‘remains overlooked by international community’
Sudan timeline January-March 2024: Sudan becomes ‘the largest humanitarian crisis in the world’
Sudan timeline October-December 2023: War deepens Sudan’s suffering
Sudan timeline July-September 2023: Sudanese ‘in survival mode’
Sudan timeline April-June 2020: Covid-19 marks all aspects of life, inflation soars
Sudan timeline January-March 2020: Little relief to the country’s economic, security woes
Sudan timeline October-December 2019: Interim government put to the test
Sudan timeline July-September 2019: Turbulent transformation from tyranny
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