COMMON ANALYSIS
Last update: June 2025
In Sudan, which has an estimated population of 48.1 million inhabitants according to the UN, about 500 ethnic minorities form a complex mosaic, with 80 different tribes living in Darfur alone.
The non-exhaustive content of this section covers the following ethnic groups:
The analysis below is based on the following EUAA COI reports and query: Country Focus 2024, 2.4.; Country Focus 2025, 2.5.; Security 2025, 1.1.2., 1.3.1.(e), 1.3.2.(b), 2.2.2., 2.3., 2.4.2. (a); COI Update 2025, 4.. Country Guidance should not be referred to as a source of COI.
Historical disputes over land and resources have been broadly simplified into an opposition between (generally sedentary) ‘non-Arab’ or ‘African’ tribes and (nomadic) ‘Arab’ tribes that became a conflict-driver in itself. Reports indicate that the outbreak of the current conflict led to an escalation in the targeting of both African and Arab communities, each of whom is seen as supporting the opposing warring party. In particular, non-Arab tribes are targeted by the RSF and allies, particularly in Darfur, but also in other regions such as South Kordofan. On the other hand, Arabs from Darfur and the Kordofans are targeted by the SAF and allies.