In mid-2019, after the ouster of Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir, political analysts hoped that Washington might be able to help Sudan chart a path to democracy. That hope was short-lived. In late 2021, Sudan’s generals staged a coup, and after 18 months of controversial U.S. policies attempting to revive the country’s democratic transition, armed conflict erupted again in Khartoum last month.

“Maybe we couldn’t have prevented a conflict,” one U.S. official told FP’s Robbie Gramer. “But it’s like we didn’t even try and beyond that just emboldened [the warring generals] by making repeated empty threats and never following through.”

Today we’re featuring our best reporting and essays on how Sudan got here—and the role that the United States, and other Western powers, have played in what many fear will become a full-blown civil war.—Chloe Hadavas

How the U.S. Fumbled Sudan’s Hopes for Democracy

The East African country, once a beacon for change, now faces civil war, FP’s Robbie Gramer writes.

In Sudan, U.S. Policies Paved the Way for War

A misguided effort to integrate the RSF into the Sudanese Armed Forces led to a tragic but predictable conflict, Justin Lynch writes.

America’s Silence on Sudan Is Deafening

Washington has sidelined the country’s long-term interests in favor of short-term gains, Hala al-Karib writes.

How the U.N. and the West Failed Sudan

Self-delusion and negligence stopped governments and aid agencies from facilitating a genuine and lasting transition to democracy, Justin Lynch writes.

The Battle for Khartoum Exposes Waning U.S. Influence

If any outside power could help Sudan chart a path to democracy, it should have been the United States, Colum Lynch and FP’s Robbie Gramer write.