The uptick in violence in Sudan since April 15 has led to growing concern in the international community. The lull in fighting between the forces of RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and the army allowed for numerous states such as the US and the UKL to pull out their citizens amid rising fears of more violence in the coming days.
While foreign nationals might have the option to return home, Sudanese citizens are under grave threat from the fighting as shelling has been reported even in the capital city of Khartoum. Sudanese citizens had only managed to get out from under the yoke of a brutal dictator in 2019 and were forced between two warning military groups since 2021.
The biggest threat for the Sudanese citizens apart from the violence remains access to healthcare, with reports of hospitals being used as bases and health workers under threat. The international community must look to bring both sides to the table and at least agree on a code of conduct that keeps the citizens safe and allows access to basic services and needs.
On a larger level, however, the Sudanese crisis of governance is predicated on the aims of individuals to gain power and keep democracy at bay. This is not acceptable. The people of Sudan deserve a government that represents them, especially after engaging in a struggle that just recently overthrew a longstanding dictator. The international community must not endorse the actions of either side in this conflict, considering the power that both individual leaders of the forces have. There needs to be an end to rising to power on the back of armed conflict. Free and transparent elections are needed to chart a path forward. But for now, the greater concern remains the violence and the effect this will have on an already impoverished country.