The Struggle for Civil Authority
The ongoing civil war in Sudan has led to a total collapse of local governance and civil infrastructure. Military factions are systematically dismantling administrative hubs, leaving the country without basic services or civilian authority.
Why it matters
The erosion of civil governance threatens the long-term stability of Sudan and complicates any future prospects for a sustainable peace agreement.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been consumed by a brutal war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). While the international coverage has focused on battlefield maneuvers, mass displacement, and atrocities, a quieter but equally devastating process is unfolding: the systematic collapse of governance and the violent contest for civil authority. This article argues that the war has fragmented Sudan into several vacuums of governance, where no single actor provides security or basic services, and where local civilian authorities are being actively suppressed, co-opted, or replaced by military actors. This article suggests practical responses for international and local actors to support and restore civil governance. Without a deliberate strategy to rebuild civil authority from the ground up, any future peace agreement will rest on an empty shell of a state.
The article provides a factual analysis of governance collapse based on reports from international observers and local conditions.
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