What is Sudan’s war really about?

Sudan's war has been described by the UN as “the world’s largest humanitarian crisis”

An episode of the The Global Story podcast, hosted by BBC World Service, titled "What is Sudan’s war really about?" was published on November 20, 2025 and runs 26 minutes.

November 20, 2025 ·26m · The Global Story

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Summary

** This episode contains some very distressing details, including of killings, sexual violence and the experiences of children in war** More than 150,000 people have been killed and about 12 million have been forced from their homes since Sudan's civil war began in 2023. But more than two years on, the reasons for the conflict are still not clear. And there are questions about why the international community - including the United States - isn’t doing more to try and stop the supply of weapons to Sudan, and to bring the fighting to an end. On today’s episode, we are joined by BBC Africa correspondent Barbara Plett Usher, who has been reporting on Sudan since the 1990s, and Nawal Al-Maghafi, a senior investigations correspondent, whose recent reporting from Khartoum has brought to light the particular tragedy facing children in this war. Producer: Hannah Moore Executive producer: James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Senior News Editor: China CollinsPhoto: A child who lost his leg due to artillery shelling by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), stands at a displacement camp in Al-Dabbah, Sudan. Credit: El Tayeb Siddig/Reuters.

Episode Description

** This episode contains some very distressing details, including of killings, sexual violence and the experiences of children in war**

More than 150,000 people have been killed and about 12 million have been forced from their homes since Sudan's civil war began in 2023. But more than two years on, the reasons for the conflict are still not clear. And there are questions about why the international community - including the United States - isn’t doing more to try and stop the supply of weapons to Sudan, and to bring the fighting to an end.

On today’s episode, we are joined by BBC Africa correspondent Barbara Plett Usher, who has been reporting on Sudan since the 1990s, and Nawal Al-Maghafi, a senior investigations correspondent, whose recent reporting from Khartoum has brought to light the particular tragedy facing children in this war.

Producer: Hannah Moore

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior News Editor: China Collins

Photo: A child who lost his leg due to artillery shelling by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), stands at a displacement camp in Al-Dabbah, Sudan. Credit: El Tayeb Siddig/Reuters.