C4ADS Response to Conflict in Sudan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — In the wake of recent violence in Sudan, C4ADS has mobilized to establish support structures for conflict monitoring efforts, answer questions about the role of foreign actors in fueling this conflict, and advise international efforts at accountability. We have worked to support civilian-led democratic transition in the nation and the region since 2019, and we remain committed to continuing that work in the face of today’s intensified conflict.

In the early hours of the conflict between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), a coalition of C4ADS media and civil society partners on the ground reached out to collaborate on a project that would structure the data collection, monitoring, and analysis of the ongoing violence. C4ADS is working with those partners to support conflict monitoring for future justice and accountability efforts. 

C4ADS is also working to utilize our curated conflict data, on-the-ground partner network, and due diligence capabilities to support the responsible, effective delivery of humanitarian aid and mitigate the impact that the ongoing conflict has already inflicted on Sudan’s civilian population. This effort will expand in reaction to humanitarian aid efforts ‌realized in Sudan over the coming months.

“We have been closely monitoring ongoing the violence in Sudan since April 15, and are deeply saddened and concerned by the impact that this conflict has already inflicted on civilians,” said Eva Kahan, who leads C4ADS’ Sudan team. “In response, we are continuing to work, every day, to provide data-driven analysis to support the renewed pursuit of peaceful, democratic transition.”

In 2019, C4ADS published Paper Trails, our examination of the opaque foreign actors working to destabilize Sudan and the broader region surrounding it. Since the October 2021 military coup, C4ADS has focused on mapping the networks by which the SAF and RSF obtain both arms and foreign finance in support of enforcement efforts to slow these material flows and limit the scope and scale of the current conflict. In June 2022, we identified over 400 companies linked to the RSF and SAF, including the nation’s two largest banks by public valuation, and published our findings and data publicly in our Breaking the Bank report. We have since continued to document the arms transfers and military training relationships through which regional and global actors have enabled this conflict.

C4ADS is dedicated to aiding our partners as they monitor the quickly-changing environment on the ground and work towards a resolution to this conflict. As the United States and other allied governments attempt to bring the RSF and SAF back to the negotiating table,  we will continue to highlight the presence of malign foreign entities contributing to the coffers of the Sudanese security sector. It’s our hope that our analysis of publicly available information relevant to this conflict can help support a coordinated, global campaign to put economic pressure on these illicit actors. 

For additional information about our work supporting peaceful, democratic transition in Sudan, please read our 2022 Breaking the Bank report or reach out to us at [email protected]. For any related media inquiries, please email [email protected].