Sudan is a country in the middle of Africa, bordered by countries like Egypt, Ethiopia, and Chad. Today, we're going into a topic that has been making headlines but might not be fully understood. So, grab a seat, let's break it down.

Over the last months, the great conflict between military groups in Sudan has reached what most say is a grim turning point. At the moment, the country's future is even more livid.

There have been reports of war crimes, massacres, mass displacement and a worsening humanitarian crisis reported during the over 1 year conflict in Sudan, and many experts are now asking if the country is on the brink of becoming a failed state or being split apart.

Even the UN Security Council agreed to end its special Integrated Transitional Assistance Mission in Sudan, also known as UNITAMS. Why? The Sudanese government requested that the mission end because it "was failing to meet expectations."

Let's have a brief history on UNITAMS. This mission was established in 2020 with the aim of supporting the transition into democracy in Sudan after a combination of military pressure and civilian protests succeeded in putting an end to the rule of the country's long-running dictator, Omar al-Bashir.

But then again, Instead of moving toward democracy, it's pretty obvious that Sudan seems to be moving towards even more destruction and violence.

Several representatives agreed on a resolution during one closed door Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York to terminate the UNITAMS mandate.

Not just that, it was finally concluded during the meeting that there will be a three-month transitional period during which UNITAMS, which offers employment to over 300 people, will end its mission in Sudan.

As you know, most UN bodies operate at the pleasure of host governments and they have faced more hostility in African nations recently, especially in countries such as Mali and Gabon, which have recently undergone coups. But then again, the United Nations still has other agencies operating in Sudan.

The major military groups inside Sudan have been fighting each another since April 2023. They are the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, and the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.

SAF has over 300,000 personnel and is headed by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. You could say that it works like a regular army. The RSF on the other hand is estimated to have 80,000 to 100,000 personnel and is controlled by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti.