Snipers from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) open fire on members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Snipers from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) open fire on members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). After independence, the SAF dominated the country's political system for a long time, often alternating with civilian governments and military regimes. The civil wars in South Sudan and later the conflicts in Darfur and other regions were particularly formative, as the army acted against both rebels and population groups it considered enemies of the state. A significant turning point was the transformation of the Sudanese security apparatus into a system in which paramilitary forces gained importance alongside the regular army. This led to a long-term power duality that escalated into open warfare between the SAF and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in 2023. Today, the SAF, under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, is one of the two main warring parties in Sudan and claims to be defending the state against the RSF. At the same time, they are under international pressure due to serious human rights allegations and suspected war crimes. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are the regular armed forces of Sudan and currently one of the two main parties in the Sudanese Civil War against the Revolutionary Socialist Front (RSF). They are led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and, according to reports, regained control of large parts of Khartoum in March 2025, while the war continued in other parts of the country. The SAF form the backbone of the Sudanese state and comprise the army, air force, and navy; allied militias and Islamist factions also play a role. Recent reports accuse them not only of military successes but also of serious human rights violations and possible war crimes. In 2026, the SAF continued their intense power struggle and territorial conflict with the RSF. Reports identify Kordofan and adjacent areas as particularly strategically important because supply routes, resource routes, and military checkpoints converge there. The open conflict between the SAF and RSF escalated in April 2023 from a power struggle over the integration of the RSF into the state apparatus. Since then, the war has triggered a massive displacement crisis and deeply shaken Sudan's political order. Notably, the SAF fighters are using an unusual anti-materiel sniper rifle, the OSV-96 (or an Iranian copy, the "Nasr" rifle), chambered in 12.7×108mm. https://x.com/i/status/2071576369079722352