Crisis Chronology

SUDAN

12/18/2023

RSF says it has captured Wad Madani, second-largest city in Sudan, capital of Gezira state, and site of many refugees.

12/10/2023

Al-Burhan and Hemediti agree to meet before the end of the year.

12/01/2023

UN votes to end its Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan. Some tasks may transfer to other agencies.

11/16/2023

The Sudan Liberation Movement, the Justice and Equality Movement, and other groups renounce their previous neutrality and declare war on the Rapid Support Forces.

11/11/2023

Rapid Support Forces militia attacks settlements in Darfur, killing at least 1300. The RSF and its allied militias want to eradicate the non-Arab Masalit tribe from West Darfur, observers say.

10/26/2023

Peace talks resume between military and RSF.

09/11/2023

Fighting continues, now in its fifth month, without significant gains by either side or advance in peace negotiations.

07/26/2023

Fighting between the two forces continues as humanitarian crisis deepens.

06/29/2023

Airstrikes in Khartoum and heavy fighting in Omdurman despite the Eid truce.

06/27/2023

Commander Hemedti of the Rapid Support Forces announces unilateral two-day ceasefire for Eid, saying he hopes it provides a chance for reconciliation among the Sudanese.

06/15/2023

War spreads more widely in Darfur. West Darfur governor abducted and killed.

06/11/2023

24-hour ceasefire for humanitarian aid quickly followed by renewed fighting.

06/05/2023

Fighting intensifies in Khartoum as Sudanese military brings in reinforcements.

06/02/2023

After talks break down, US imposes sanctions on leaders of both the Sudanese military and the RSF groups.

05/15/2023

Fighting continues, intensifying somewhat. There is little progress in the talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has produced only a statement of principles about humanitarian aid, though specifics are lacking. Fighting in Darfur also rages.

05/02/2023

Generals agree to a seven-day ceasefire, beginning 5/4.

05/01/2023

Both generals suggest that they are willing to negotiate.

04/29/2023

Outbursts of fighting continue.

04/26/2023

Although there is intermittent fighting, negotiators are hopeful the ceasefire can be extended.

04/23/2023

Evacuation of foreign citizens and diplomatic personnel begins as fighting continues with no sign of ceasefire or even discussions.

04/23/2023

US announces 72-hour truce in Sudan.

04/23/2023

Truce reduces fighting, allowing countries to extract their nationals.

04/20/2023

Both generals reject negotiations. Daglo says he is not opposed to a ceasefire during Eid, which begins on either Friday or Saturday (the first sighting of the crescent moon), but that the Sudan military will not stop fighting. Many Sudanese are crossing into Chad to flee the war.

04/19/2023

The ceasefire breaks down almost immediately.

04/18/2023

Amid some confusion, RSF leader Daglo calls for a 24-hour ceasefire. Sudan military says it has not been contacted. Other countries have also called for a ceasefire to create an opportunity to evacuate their citizens. Eventually a ceasefire is agreed to, starting at 6 pm.

04/17/2023

Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan calls the RSF “rebellious” and orders it disbanded. Nearly a hundred civilians have been killed, and the RSF has been bombarded by air strikes. Kenya's President William Ruto, Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh, and South Sudan's President Salva Kiir have said they will go to Khartoum to mediate the crisis.

04/15/2023

Heavy fighting breaks out in Khartoum between the Sudan military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, more commonly known as Hemeti. There has long been tension between Hemeti and coup leader al-Burhan. The RSF emerged in 2013 from the Janjaweed militias fighting the Sudanese army in Darfur.

02/22/2023

Protests against military rule continue.

01/27/2023

Sudan leader al-Burhan says that Sudan and Ethiopia are in substantial agreement about GERD.

01/05/2023

Demonstrations begin again led by the Resistance Committees, a grassroots group that has steadfastly rejected any negotiations with Sudan’s military leaders, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. The committees also reject the agreement negotiated with other opposition groups in 12/22 for the gradual transfer of power to civilians.

12/19/2022

Security forces fire tear gas on protestors.

12/02/2022

Military junta signs agreement with opposition Forces of Freedom and Change that envisions a transitional two-year civilian government led by a prime minister appointed by the “forces of the revolution” and a new constitution.

10/23/2022

Fighting between the Hausa and the Berta ethnic groups over a land dispute in the Blue Nile province kills more than two hundred and displaces thousands.

09/27/2022

Nearly a year after backing a coup in Sudan, paramilitary leader Mohamad Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemeti) is trying make alliances with pro-democracy groups. He has called the coup a failure, given the long-running protests, has called for a civilian government, and says he has tried to reduce violence in some provinces. Most suspect his motives, since his Rapid Support Forces militia was responsible for killing protesters in 6/19.

09/14/2022

Weekly protests against the government continue.

08/31/2022

Nearly 22,000 former rebels swear allegiance to the government and join the army.

08/02/2022

Number two military commander, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as "Hemedti", suggests that he would intervene if "Sudan is heading for the abyss."

07/06/2022

Opposition Forces for Freedom and Change coalition dismisses al-Burhan’s offer as a “ruse” and calls for continued demonstrations.

07/06/2022

Ethiopian President Abiy says he has reached an agreement with Sudan junta leader al-Burhan to settle their border dispute peacefully.

07/05/2022

Junta leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan says the army will move away from government but does not specify a timetable or members of a new government.

07/01/2022

Protestors injured as demonstrations against the government continue unabated.

06/09/2022

Leaders of the junta meet with pro-democracy leaders.

05/13/2022

Protests continue.

04/24/2022

Fighting between Arabs and non-Arabs in Darfur leaves more than 160 dead and many more wounded.

04/06/2022

One person is killed in anti-coup protests.

03/25/2022

Military has surrounded the house of vice-president Riek Machar. Machar asks other countries, including Sudan’s leader Gen. al-Burhan for help against the forces of President Salva Kiir, which have been fighting Machar loyalists in the states of Unity and Upper Nile.

03/07/2022

Protests against government continue.

02/28/2022

Protests continue. A student is killed while in a protest march.

02/13/2022

Another protestor killed in demonstrations against military government.

02/10/2022

Truck drivers angry about increase in the cost of electricity block major trade route to Egypt.

02/07/2022

Protests continue as local groups called resistance committees organize ways to dislodge the military government.

01/30/2022

Another protestor is killed.

01/18/2022

Forces for Freedom and Change calls for a two-day campaign of civil disobedience. Most stores close for mourning the dead and also to avoid possible violence in the streets.

01/17/2022

Seven more killed in protests against the government.

01/13/2022

Police general and protestor killed in continuing protests. Government rejects UN offer to mediate.

01/09/2022

Two more protestors killed.

01/04/2022

Security forces seal off roads into Khartoum ahead of planned protests. Protests continue.

01/02/2022

Prime minister resigns

Hamdok resigns, having lost support of the public after agreeing to the military junta’s arrangement. Security forces kill three more protestors bringing the total killed to 57.

01/02/2022

Protests continue in strength. Security forces try to break up marches with tear gas.

12/24/2021

Protests against the government continue with increased violence by security forces.

11/28/2021

Sudan accuses Ethiopia of launching an attack across its border. Ethiopia denies the charge.

11/21/2021

An agreement is reached to restore Hamdok as the leader of a transitional government, to lift the state of emergency and to release political prisoners. There are still some protests by those who feel the military agreed only to give the US reason to release aid.

11/17/2021

Overall death toll among coup protestors rises to 39.

11/12/2021

Burhan re-appoints himself head of the transitional governing council.

11/07/2021

Two days of civil disobedience and strikes begin as protests against the coup. Security forces fire tear gas.

11/07/2021

Burhan says he will not be part of the government after the transition.

11/03/2021

Al-Burhan negotiating a power-sharing agreement with Hamdok. Reportedly, al-Burhan sees Hamdok as necessary to regime credibility.

10/31/2021

Hamdok says he will not resign.

10/28/2021

Government removes ambassadors to US, EU, China, Qatar, France, and head of mission in Geneva, evidently in reaction to those countries’ rejection of the coup. Security forces crack down on protests. AU and World Bank suspend relations.

10/26/2021

At least seven protestors have been killed and more than 140 wounded as protests continue. Internet access is blocked. Military vows a technocratic government. US has suspended aid deliveries to Sudan.

10/25/2021

Military coup

Military places Hamdok under house arrest and takes control of the government. Chairman of the ruling council General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan later announces the dissolution of the transitional government and the sovereign council and declared a nationwide state of emergency. Al-Burhan and others in the leadership were allied with al-Bashir. There are protests in the street. The UN denounces the move and calls for restoration of the civilian government. States in the region – Egypt, Turkey, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have been trying to gain influence in the country since the ousting of al-Bashir, and this coup likely halts that, at least temporarily.

10/18/2021

Government announces talks between itself and opposition figures in an effort to lessen tension.

10/17/2021

Continued protests against the government of Prime Minister Hamdock, calling for the army to take control of the government.

09/27/2021

Sudan reaches an agreement with tribal protesters in the east to allow the resumption of exports of landlocked South Sudan’s crude oil via a terminal on the Red Sea. The Beja people were blocking exports in protest over a lack of political power and poor economic conditions in the region. Sudan receives a portion of South Sudan’s oil export income.

09/26/2021

Sudan says it has repelled an attack by Ethiopian forces. Many refugees from the Tigray conflict have fled to Sudan.

09/22/2021

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sovereign Council that rules the country, and his deputy General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, accuse civilian politicians of seeking personal gains and forgetting the aims of the revolution. Tensions between the military and the civilians on the Sovereign Council are rising.

09/21/2021

Attempted coup is foiled. The government says the coup plotters were loyal to the deposed Bashir government.

08/30/2021

Chad and Sudan agree to strengthen cross-border security.

06/30/2021

Protest against austerity measures imposed as part of an IMF aid relief package of $50 billion announced 6/29.

06/28/2021

Peace talks between the transitional government and the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Sudan-North (SPLM-North) are halted as they disagree on how to apportion power between the central government and the regional governments.

05/18/2021

IMF forgives $50 billion in debt, allowing Sudan access to foreign credit.

04/07/2021

Russia says that the entry of Ukraine into NATO would intensify fighting in Donbass.

04/06/2021

Talks on the GARD break down. Sudan and Egypt are concerned about Ethiopia’s plans. Sudan also disagreed with the final statement.

03/28/2021

Government reaches agreement with the Sudan’s People Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), Led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, for a process to peace negotiations. The SPLM-N is one of two remaining substantial rebel groups.

03/02/2021

Fighting between Sudan and Ethiopian-backed forces continues in the last Ethiopian stronghold of Bereket in the disputed border region of Al-Fashaga.

02/08/2021

Hamdok announces new cabinet, which includes many former rebels, notably economist Gibril Ibrahim, of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), which played a major role in the Darfur conflict.

01/03/2021

Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt resume talks about the dam on the Nile.

12/20/2020

Sudan and Ethiopia agree to negotiations on the border.

12/15/2020

Prime Minister Hamdok criticizes the military’s extensive role in the country’s economy. The press has reported that the army is involved with more than 250 companies producing gold, gum Arabic, meat exports, flour, and sesame.

12/14/2020

US removes Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

10/23/2020

Sudan and Israel agree to discuss normalizing diplomatic relations. Sudan’s legislative assembly will have to approve the agreement. The Popular Congress Party, the second most prominent component of the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) political coalition, denounces the agreement. Former Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, the last elected leader of Sudan, also decries the agreement.

10/03/2020

Government and rebels sign peace agreement. The agreement grants self-rule for the southern provinces of Blue Nile, South Kordofan, and West Kordofan. Rebel forces would be integrated into Sudan's armed forces.

09/04/2020

Severe flooding causes government to impose state of emergency.

08/31/2020

Government and rebel groups in Darfur and in South Kordofan and the Blue Nile agree on a peace plan.

08/18/2020

Police fire tear gas at protestors in Khartoum demanding faster political change.

08/16/2020

Egypt and Sudan express optimism about negotiations about GERD with Ethiopia.

08/11/2020

Government bans export of raw peanuts, aiming to export the more profitable secondary products.

07/21/2020

Trial of Bashir begins. He is acused of leading the 1989 coup that installed him in power. If convicted, he could be sentenced to death.

05/31/2020

Cross-border attacks by militias in Sudan and Ethiopia causing diplomatic concern.

05/31/2020

Cross-border attacks by militias in Sudan and Ethiopia causing diplomatic concern.

05/05/2020

Government appoints new ambassador to US for the first time in twenty years.

04/18/2020

Government issues stay-at-home order for Khartoum due to COVID-19 pandemic.

03/09/2020

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok survives assassination attempt in Khartoum. It is not known who perpetrated the attack.

02/11/2020

Ruling military council votes to give al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court.

02/03/2020

Netanyahu meets with Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the head of the transitional government, about normalizing diplomatic relations. The meeting was announced only after it was over.

01/16/2020

Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan agree that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam can begin filling during the wet season of 2020. Though Ethiopia wants the dam to be completely filled within seven years, Egypt is worried that it will remove too much water from the Blue Nile. Egypt is already in a water shortage.

01/14/2020

Government puts down rebellion by security forces demanding better pay and severance. Former Director of the National Intelligence and Security Service Salah Gosh is accused of orchestrating the mutiny. His whereabouts are unknown.

12/28/2019

Government and nine rebel groups agree to discuss power-sharing agreement, integrating rebels into the military, return of displaced people and root causes to end the conflict in Darfur.

12/27/2019

Foreign Minister announces that gasoline subsidies will be gradually lifted in 2020 while pay for civil servants will increase.

12/09/2019

Sudan removes most of its troops from Yemen, saying there is no military solution to the conflict there.

11/29/2019

PM Abdalla Hamdock elected chairperson of regional development bloc, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

11/29/2019

Government repeals all laws restricting women’s dress, movement, association, study, and work. It also dissolves the former ruling party.

11/20/2019

Ali al-Haj, secretary of the Popular Congress Party, is arrested in connection with the coup d’état that put former President Omar al-Bashir in power. The Islamist party was created in a split from Bashir’s ruling National Congress Party in 1999.

11/06/2019

Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan pledge to continue to look for a satisfactory agreement about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a huge hydroelectric power project that will make Ethiopia a major power exporter on the continent. Sudan and Egypt fear it will seriously reduce water supply downstream. Egypt, which takes 90% of its drinking water from the Nile, has experienced water shortages in recent years.

09/24/2019

Government to ask World Bank for a development loan. Sudan has been unable to work with the World Bank or the IMF because it is on the US terrorist list.

09/11/2019

Government and rebel leaders sign an agreement to work toward peace. Negotiations with rebel groups are to begin 10/14 and be concluded within six months. The rebels include the Sudan Revolutionary Front, an alliance of Darfur rebel groups and part of the pro-democracy movement; and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, which is active in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

08/21/2019

Sovereign Council sworn in, led by General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan for twenty-one months, then by a civilian leader for the next fifteen.

08/17/2019

Military and civilian leaders sign power-sharing agreement. Protestors continue to demand civilian rule. The opposition party Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), nominate Abdullah Hamadok to be prime minister for the transitional government.

08/17/2019

Military and civilian leaders sign power-sharing agreement. Protestors continue to demand civilian rule. The opposition party Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), nominate Abdullah Hamadok to be prime minister for the transitional government.

08/04/2019

Protest leaders and military leaders sign a constitutional agreement that establishes the joint military and civilian council to rule for a little over three years until elections can be held. The activists will appoint a cabinet and establish a legislative body.

07/12/2019

AU announces that the Forces of Declaration for Freedom and Change and the Transitional military council have agreed on all aspects of the political structure. Further negotiations on a constitutional declaration will ensue.

07/11/2019

Military council says it foiled attempted coup by other officers.

07/07/2019

Transitional government agreement

Military and civilians announce agreement on transitional government. The sovereign council will be majority military for the first 21 months, and majority civilian for the next 18 months.

06/30/2019

Generals call for negotiations. Opposition still refuses, holding large rallies despite military’s previous crackdown and continuous veiled threats.

06/19/2019

Military council says it is willing to hold unconditional talks with the protest leaders.

06/11/2019

Opposition ends protest and agrees to new negotiations with the military council.

06/10/2019

Civil disobedience protest continues. Military council dismisses their importance

06/10/2019

Civil disobedience protest continues and leaders vow to continue it. Military council warns that such actions may be a threat to national security.

06/09/2019

Mass protests and strikes in Khartoum and elsewhere bring the country to a standstill. The government attempts to force government employees back to work.

06/09/2019

Mass protests and strikes in Khartoum and elsewhere bring the country to a standstill. The government attempts to force government employees back to work.

06/07/2019

African Union suspends Sudan and calls for a civilian government. Ethiopian PM Abiy arrives in Sudan for talks.

06/07/2019

African Union suspends Sudan and calls for a civilian government. Ethiopian PM Abiy arrives in Sudan for talks.

06/04/2019

Military council cancels all agreements with the opposition, ends negotiations with the Alliance, and says it will hold elections within nine months.

06/03/2019

Dozens of protestors are killed by security forces.

05/28/2019

Opposition organizes a two-strike to protest stalemate in negotiations.

05/22/2019

Protest leaders call for a general strike after negotiations stall.

05/20/2019

Negotiations stall again on the composition of the sovereign council.

05/15/2019

Military and opposition agree on a three-year transition to civilian rule and a transitional legislative council two-thirds of whose members will be civilians. However, they have not agreed on the composition of the sovereign council that will oversee civilian-dominated government.

05/13/2019

Military and opposition (now the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces) say they have reached an agreement over the transitional council. Violence flares up afterward, though it is not clear who initiated it.

05/13/2019

Government announces that Bashir has been charged in the deaths of protestors.

05/08/2019

Military leaders suggest that sharia law should form the basis of a new constitution. Opposition calls the suggestion “blackmail” and threatens a national campaign of “disobedience.”

05/05/2019

Talks between civilians and the military suggest two transition councils, one led by the military (which would include some civilians) that would consider the security situation and the other by civilians.

04/25/2019

Substantial protests continue in Khartoum calling for a civilian government. Protest leaders say they will resume negotiations with the military on a transitional government.

04/25/2019

Three members of the military council resign, as the SPA had demanded.

04/24/2019

SPA calls for large march in Khartoum. The SPA and the military agree to form a joint committee to resolve disagreements between protestors and the military.

04/23/2019

Protestors demand that the military implement democratic reforms within three months.

04/20/2019

SPA postpones a planned announcement of the new council.

04/19/2019

Protestors, led by the Sudan Professionals Association (SPA), announce they will appoint a civilian-led transitional governing council.

04/17/2019

Head of Constitutional Council, which oversees elections, steps down.

04/17/2019

Bashir is transferred from house arrest to prison.

04/15/2019

Military arrests some members of the former government. The military assures protestors of their safety as they continue to demand a new civilian government.

04/14/2019

Military asks protestors to nominate a prime minister, saying that it wants control only of defense and interior ministries, in order to assure security in the country.

04/12/2019

Ibn Auf resigns, but is replaced by another military leader, Lieutenant General Abdel-Fatah al-Burhan Abdel-Rahman, formerly chief of staff of ground forces.

04/11/2019

Military takes control

Military takes control of government, arresting Bashir and establishing a transitional government. Ibn Auf, first vice-president and defense minister seems to be in charge, at least ostensibly. He imposes a three-month state of emergency, suspends the constitution, and closes Sudan airspace for twenty-four hours. The national assembly and the council of minister are disbanded along with other government institutions. Protests continue, objecting to the military’s coup.

04/09/2019

Rival government security forces battle in Khartoum as protestors remain outside of army headquarters.

04/07/2019

Protestors appeal to the army to remove Bashir. Some other states have offered Bashir asylum.

04/01/2019

Government says Bouteflika will resign before 4/28.

04/01/2019

Bashir’s party postpones convention that would select a new leader.

03/25/2019

Protests continue, government continues to downplay problems.

03/02/2019

Opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi calls on Bashir to quit.

03/01/2019

Bashir gives up leadership of the National Congress Party to Ahmed Mohamed Haroun (who is wanted by the ICC for war crimes). Protests continue.

02/26/2019

Government bans rallies, gives security forces wider powers to search and seize, bans news reports “that hurts the citizens or the constitutional system,” and restricts buying and selling of foreign currency.

02/24/2019

Bashir appoints former governor Mohamed Tahir Eila to be prime minister.

02/23/2019

Bashir appoints defense minister Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf to also be first vice-president.

01/31/2019

Military says it will not allow the country to fall into disarray and that the protests are “hostile” to Sudan.

01/30/2019

Opposition leader Mariam Sadiq al-Mahdi, the daughter of opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi, is arrested. Protests continue.

01/22/2019

Foreign journalists from Turkish, Qatarese and Saudi media are asked to leave the country. Protests continue.

01/13/2019

Government deploying security forces in town where protests have been scheduled, to suppress and intimidate them, with mixed success.

01/10/2019

Anti-government protestors in Omdurman killed.

01/08/2019

Bashir attends pro-government rally, but protests continue.

01/03/2019

Protests continue as police continue efforts to suppress marches in Khartoum. Well-known journalist said to be arrested. Bashir meets with a friendly workers union, touting economic program and promising wage hikes. Social media on the internet has been blocked.

01/02/2019

The NCP issues a statement that Bashir will remain.

01/01/2019

After a number of members of the ruling National Congress Party defect and call for Bashir to step down, the government sets up a commission to investigate the recent protests.

12/31/2018

Police attempt suppress protests demanding Bashir’s resignation. Protests are now in their twelfth day. Many have been injured and/or arrested. Unmarked cars said to be security officials block the starting point of a protest in Khartoum.

12/23/2018

Fifth day of protests after government raises the price of bread, which has become a symbol for economic hardship in general, including fuel shortages. Unions call for a nationwide strike and there are demands for Bashir to resign.

12/19/2018

Anti-government protests begin

Protests in Atbara due to rise in price of bread but also soaring inflation and a shortage of cash begin to spread across the country.

12/13/2018

Continuing discussions initiated by the Saudis about a regional alliance of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

09/16/2018

Bashir dissolves National Reconciliation government and cuts number of ministries from 31 to 21. Current prime minister, Bakri Hasan Saleh, will continue as vice-president. Motaz Mousa, former minister, becomes prime minister. Sudan is short of hard currency and experiencing high inflation and shortages of food and fuel. Baath party leader Mohamed Diaelden dismisses the changes. The Baath Party is part of the National Consensus Forces, a coalition of the opposition. The Popular Congress Party says corruption has become endemic and the government acknowledges that most of the gold mined has been smuggled abroad.

08/10/2018

National Congress Party nominates Bashir to be presidential candidate for the 2020 election even though the constitution allows only two terms, and Bashir himself has said he would not run in 2020.

01/08/2018

Outcry in Belgium over meetings with Sudan officials, who presented a list of individuals who were subsequently forced to return to Sudan, where they are likely to be persecuted. The meetings were set up by the nationalist New Flemish Alliance, which says it will quit the government if its minister, who arranged the meetings, is removed. That would split the governing coalition, which could bring down the Michel government.

01/04/2018

Government extends ceasefire with rebels for three months, to the end of 3/18.

12/27/2017

Attempted coup thwarted in Equatorial Guinea. Instigation is variously placed on mercenaries from Chad, Sudan, Cameroon and/or the Central African Republic, organized by Guinean opposition groups.