Genocide in Sudan (2013–2018)

The Genocide in Sudan (2013–2018) refers to the systematic targeting of civilians along ethnic lines during the South Sudan Civil War (2013–2018), primarily between the Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups. The violence erupted in December 2013 amid a political power struggle between President Salva Kiir Mayardit (Dinka) and Vice President Riek Machar (Nuer), and rapidly escalated into widespread ethnic killings, sexual violence, child recruitment, and destruction of civilian property. In 2017, British International Development Secretary Priti Patel explicitly described the conflict as "tribal" genocide, citing massacres, throat-slitting, a scorched-earth policy, village burnings, rapes, and the use of food as a weapon of war, with most atrocities perpetrated by government forces.

Background

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011, following a referendum in which nearly 99 percent of voters supported secession. Early peace processes failed to resolve long-standing ethnic grievances, economic disenfranchisement, and weak governance structures, setting the stage for political instability.

Outbreak of violence

Tensions culminated in December 2013 when President Kiir accused Vice President Machar of plotting a coup d'état, leading to Machar's dismissal. Fighting broke out within the presidential guard between Dinka soldiers loyal to Kiir and Nuer soldiers supporting Machar. The conflict quickly spread to the states of Jonglei, Upper Nile, and Unity. A peace deal signed in August 2015 amid international pressure was repeatedly violated by both sides, and Machar fled into exile after fighting resumed in Juba in July 2016.

Ethnic targeting and atrocities

From the outset, armed groups on both sides deliberately targeted civilians based on ethnicity. Reported atrocities included:

• Mass killings along ethnic lines, including targeted ethnic killings mostly by government forces
• Widespread rape and sexual violence
• Looting and destruction of villages, with entire communities burned under a scorched-earth policy
• Forced recruitment of child soldiers
• Blocking of food aid to opposition areas and harassment of aid workers

A United Nations report in March 2017 described South Sudan as experiencing ethnic cleansing by mostly government forces and allies, teetering on the edge of genocide. The South Sudanese government repeatedly denied accusations of genocide and ethnic cleansing. The violence is estimated to have caused nearly 400,000 excess deaths, with an additional four million people displaced internally or forced to flee as refugees—creating the world's largest refugee crisis at the time, including over 800,000 sheltering in Uganda alone. Famine was declared in two counties in 2017, threatening further spread amid the use of hunger as a weapon.

Patel's declaration invoked the U.K.'s obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention to prevent or punish the crime, though a British spokeswoman later clarified that the government was monitoring U.N. alerts to the risk of genocide. She criticized regional inaction, urging African Union leaders to pressure Kiir and support national dialogue.

Aftermath

The civil war formally ended with a peace agreement in February 2018, though sporadic violence continued. A 2025 UN report highlighted ongoing elite corruption and systematic looting by South Sudanese leaders amid widespread civilian suffering, linking it to the legacy of the 2013–2018 conflict that killed an estimated 400,000 people.

See also

• Sudan genocides
• Genocide in Darfur (2003–2005)
• Genocide in Darfur (2023–present)