Research and Advocacy · Learning toolkit
NoirUnited Sudan
Understand the war, hear from our team, and find a way to act. Approved members and partners can read the full toolkit and download it.
Four sections · One toolkit
Explore the story
Background of the War in Sudan
New to Sudan? Start here. From the 2019 revolution led by Sudanese civilians to the war that began on April 15, 2023, the genocide findings in El Fasher, famine and displacement, and the Emergency Response Rooms keeping people alive, with every source cited.
Why Sudan Matters to the Diaspora
The world’s largest humanitarian crisis is less than half funded. Learn how the war in Sudan reaches families here, through money sent home, TPS and a closed refugee door, and how the diaspora has moved U.S. policy before, from apartheid to Darfur.
Top 5 Foreign Actors Destabilizing Africa
Who is fueling instability across the continent, and how. Watch the story, then read how our Research and Advocacy team ranks five foreign powers, from the UAE’s role behind the RSF in Sudan to France’s fading Françafrique, with every source cited.
Taking Action with Congress
You live in a country whose government can change the course of the war in Sudan. Learn how a bill moves, which Sudan bills are waiting for a vote, and what to say. Then call, write or meet your members of Congress with our scripts and templates.
Hear from the team
Watch and follow along
The panels beside the videos follow the speakers. You can pause or step through them at your own pace.
Akunna introduces the toolkit
Akunna Okonkwo
- Sudan. War since April 15, 2023. About 51.7 million people. Sudan’s population. The war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in Khartoum. (United Nations Population Fund, n.d.; Council on Foreign Relations, 2024)
- Lives lost · as of October 2026. Deaths documented by ACLED. At least 59,000. The true toll is likely higher. Wider estimates range from 150,000 to 400,000 deaths. (Associated Press, 2026; Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2026)
- Forced from home · as of September 2026. Still displaced inside Sudan. 8.58 million. Nearly 5 million more have fled to neighboring countries. (“Over 5 mn displaced Sudanese…”, 2026)
- The attention gap. Among the most neglected crises. 8 of 10. Of the ten crises with the least media coverage in 2025, eight were in Africa, according to CARE. In June 2026 the Norwegian Refugee Council ranked Sudan among the world’s most neglected displacement crises. (CARE, 2026; Blackburn, 2026)
- Genocide findings. The US determined it is genocide. January 7, 2025: the US found that the RSF and allied militias committed genocide. 2026: UN investigators found “the hallmarks of genocide” in El Fasher. (Blinken, 2025; UN News, 2026)
- US arms sales. Arms sales to the UAE. $1.6 billion. In 2025 the Senate declined to block this sale. Lawmakers concluded the UAE arms the RSF. The UAE denies it. (The New Arab, 2025; Office of Senator Chris Van Hollen, 2025; Reuters, 2025)
- Foreign actors. The UAE backs the RSF. The UAE is the primary external supporter of the Rapid Support Forces. Supply routes run through Ethiopia, Chad, Libya, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. (Caleb Ta., 2026; Mahjoub, 2025)
- The funding gap · as of August 2026. The UN appeal for Sudan. Just over 40% funded. The appeal asks for nearly $3 billion. More than 30 million people need aid. (UN News, 2026)
- What Congress controls. Aid, arms sales and protection. Congress funds humanitarian aid and can vote to block arms sales. Your representative and two senators answer to you.
- The toolkit. Four sections, every source cited. Background, why it matters, the foreign actors, and how to take action with Congress.
Sittana on Sudan
Sittana Rustom
- The largest crisis · as of August 2026. People who need humanitarian aid. More than 30 million. Sudan is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. (UN News, 2026)
- The silence · as of August 2026. The UN appeal for Sudan. Just over 40% funded. Nearly $3 billion requested, $1.2 billion received. (UN News, 2026)
- Sudanese people lead. The Emergency Response Rooms. Volunteer mutual aid groups that carry on the values of the 2019 Resistance Committees. The Sudanese diaspora helps pay for their work. (Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, 2025)
- A man-made crisis. Two armed forces, and outside backers. A dispute over folding the RSF into the army exploded into war in Khartoum. The UAE is the primary external supporter of the RSF. (Council on Foreign Relations, 2024; Caleb Ta., 2026; Mahjoub, 2025)
- Forced from home · as of September 2026. Still displaced inside Sudan. 8.58 million. Nearly 5 million more have fled to neighboring countries. Speaking up is how this gets attention. (“Over 5 mn displaced Sudanese…”, 2026)
Start here · Section 1
Background of the War in Sudan
New to Sudan? Start here. From the 2019 revolution led by Sudanese civilians to the war that began on April 15, 2023, the genocide findings in El Fasher, famine and displacement, and the Emergency Response Rooms keeping people alive, with every source cited.
Sudanese civilians brought down Omar al-Bashir after months of protest in 2018 and 2019. They pushed for a government led by civilians, but the transition did not hold.
In October 2021, the army and the Rapid Support Forces seized power together. Their leaders then fought over control of the state. On April 15, 2023, that struggle became a war whose greatest cost has fallen on civilians.
The full toolkit follows the people living through that war, the forces behind it, and the Sudanese groups responding. Start with the history, then follow the evidence and ways to act.
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