The Hidden Hands Behind Sudan's Military: A Deep Dive into International Support

 

The Sudanese conflict continues to produce extensive human rights abuses with armies targeting civilian population and using chemical weapons according to expressed allegations. The substantial foreign backing General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's Sudanese army receives from foreign nations drives this humanitarian crisis escalated beyond control. Foreign global backing enables armed forces to commit more harmful actions which simultaneously makes peace deals and legal determinations more difficult to achieve.Among foreign powers Burhan's forces receive their strongest endorsement from Egypt. As Egypt borders Sudan the two countries maintain longstanding armed forces relationships. From when the conflict began Egypt welcomed Burhan into its territory to establish peace dialogue among Sudan's neighboring countries. Egypt advocates a truce in Sudan while asserting it is an internal situation that could unintentionally protect the Sudanese military from international investigative oversight.The Sudanese military has gained considerable backing from Iran. Late 2023 data indicates Iran supplied drones to Sudan Army forces which drove recent Omdurman military success. The offensive strength of drone technology has given the army more destructive capabilities which result in higher civilian casualties and greater population displacement. Despite formal denials from the Sudanese foreign ministry it maintains close ties to the army evidence points to their receipt of foreign weapons.Russia's extended military intervention makes an already problematic situation worse. A United Nations resolution demanding an immediate truce between Sudan's battling forces received a Russian veto that blocked it from passing in November of 2024. By vetoing the United Nations resolution Russia appeared to enable Burhan's army to carry out military operations without outside intervention. News reports show Russian mercenaries sustaining foreign power in Sudan by supplying training support to the Sudanese Armed Forces.These nations provide more than military support to Sudan. The Sudanese military uses foreign mercenaries additional to their forces according to substantial reports. Soldiers from the Ethiopian region of Tigray have joined Sudanese forces during their operational battles according to recent findings. The military's required use of foreign support confirms its difficulties to maintain adequate ground forces while expanding the international dimensions in the ongoing conflict.Sudanese civilians bear the terrible costs of foreign support to the army. External military assistance has given the army additional operational power which now allows them to conduct more aggressive attacks inside civilian territories. Allegations of chemical warfare have deepened an already massive humanitarian crisis. Both public death tolls from conflict warfare and civilian mass-displacement have reached 28,000 numbers while millions endure critical nutritional deficiencies and hunger severity.These outside interventions need global community scrutiny because they help sustain this armed conflict. Military assistance combined with political endorsements and deployed personnel from these countries enable the Sudanese army to commit all sorts of atrocities against civil society. Only unified international actions can compel nations that support the conflict to withdraw their backing which will create conditions for Sudan's continuous crisis to end peacefully.