A violent showdown between Sudan’s two most powerful leaders has brought a new level of instability to the region. Today on “Post Reports,” a look at how the country went from hopes of democracy just a few years ago to being on the cusp of civil war. 

The conflict between the country’s main military and paramilitary leaders – boiled over on Saturday, rocking the country’s capital and catching civilians, aid workers and international residents in the crossfire.  

“The scale of the violence and how quickly it broke out caught people by surprise,” Katharine Houreld, The Post’s East Africa bureau chief, tells “Post Reports.” “And that’s meant millions of people have been trapped not just in the capital, but in cities all over Sudan.” 

Sudan is the third-largest country in Africa, home to 46 million people. For decades, it has faced an uphill battle in its quest for peace and democracy. 

In 2019, the country’s longtime ruler, Omar al-Bashir, was ousted. An interim joint civilian-military government was formed, with the aim of transitioning to a democracy over time. But in the fall of 2021, the country’s military chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, took over the government in another coup, in an uncomfortable alliance with the paramilitary head, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. 

Now their infighting and escalating violence is raising worries that such volatility could spread throughout the horn of Africa. 

“There's a lot at stake in this conflict,” Houreld says. 

Read more:

Generals’ war chests have fueled fighting in Sudan. 

Sudan’s neighbors fear spillover as death toll from clashes nears 200.

Civilian toll rises in Sudan as military, rivals fight for control. 

Veterans of violence, Sudan’s weary doctors brave another crisis.

U.S. convoy, aid workers attacked.