UPSC MCQs on Sudan’s Civil War & Crisis (2023–2025)
1. The 29% contraction in Sudan’s GDP during 2023–24 is primarily attributed to:
A. Withdrawal of IMF loans
B. Disruption of internal trade routes and agricultural collapse
C. Collapse of global oil prices
D. Sanctions imposed by the African Union
Answer: B
Explanation: Internal trade and agriculture were destroyed due to conflict lines between SAF and RSF.
2. The RSF’s consolidation in Darfur and Kordofan provides strategic advantage mainly because these regions:
A. Contain Sudan’s largest ports
B. Are centers of Sudan’s banking system
C. Contain mineral and gold resources
D. Have the highest population density
Answer: C
Explanation: RSF controls gold mines and mineral routes, crucial for financing.
3. The fall of El Fasher is considered a turning point because:
A. It houses Sudan’s central bank
B. It was the last SAF-controlled capital in Darfur
C. It connects Khartoum to the Red Sea
D. It gave SAF control over RSF supply routes
Answer: B
Explanation: El Fasher was the last major SAF-controlled position in Darfur.
4. The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is considered the world’s fastest-growing displacement crisis primarily due to:
A. Natural disasters
B. Mass recruitment in the armed forces
C. Systematic targeting of civilian areas and blockade tactics
D. Large-scale infrastructure development
Answer: C
Explanation: Civilian targeting and siege strategies have led to 9.8 million displaced.
5. The price of 3.5 kg of millet crossing $500 in El Fasher signifies:
A. Import-driven inflation
B. Complete market failure due to siege conditions
C. Rising global commodity cycles
D. Subsidy withdrawal by the SAF government
Answer: B
Explanation: Extreme inflation reflects total disruption of supply lines due to RSF blockades.
6. Sudan’s entry into “famine conditions” in September 2025 corresponds to which IPC level?
A. IPC Phase 2
B. IPC Phase 3
C. IPC Phase 4
D. IPC Phase 5
Answer: D
Explanation: IPC Phase 5 represents Catastrophe/Famine.
7. The civil war’s origin lies in disagreements over the integration of RSF into SAF. This process is globally referred to as:
A. Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR)
B. Security Sector Reform (SSR)
C. Transitional Civilian Oversight (TCO)
D. Military Rationalisation Plan (MRP)
Answer: B
Explanation: Integration of paramilitary forces is a core process under SSR.
8. Which of the following geopolitical regions is MOST affected by instability in Sudan?
A. Maghreb
B. Sahel and Horn of Africa
C. Southern Africa
D. Gulf of Guinea
Answer: B
Explanation: Sudan straddles the Sahel and Horn of Africa, both fragile regions.
9. Which of the following BEST explains why international peace efforts in Sudan have failed?
A. Lack of interest by African Union
B. Both SAF and RSF receive external support and refuse to negotiate
C. UN has no mandate in Sudan
D. The war is confined to remote rural areas
Answer: B
Explanation: External funding + lack of willingness to negotiate is the key challenge.
10. The siege of El Fasher involved the use of “sand berms.” This tactic is primarily meant to:
A. Strengthen defensive borders
B. Divert water resources
C. Block civilian movement and humanitarian access
D. Hide weapons storage
Answer: C
Explanation: Berms block roads and isolate cities.
11. Which of the following organisations provides conflict incident data like the 400 civilian-targeting events in El Fasher?
A. UNEP
B. ACLED
C. WTO
D. OECD
Answer: B
Explanation: ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project) tracks conflict events.
12. The rapid rise in sorghum prices in Kadugli after two decades of stability indicates:
A. Failure of agricultural technology
B. Breakdown of local market integration
C. Fertiliser shortage
D. Increase in global sorghum demand
Answer: B
Explanation: War destroyed supply chains and trade routes.
13. Sudan’s fragmentation into SAF-held east/centre and RSF-held west can be described as:
A. A frozen conflict
B. De facto territorial partition
C. Classical civil–military transition
D. A counterinsurgency operation
Answer: B
Explanation: Administrations are now functionally separate.
14. Large-scale displacement in Sudan is MOST comparable to which global crisis?
A. Syria (post-2011)
B. Venezuela (post-2017)
C. Ukraine (post-2022)
D. Somalia (2011 famine)
Answer: A
Explanation: Displacement scale and multi-actor civil war resemble Syria.
15. The conflict has severely affected Sudan’s food security because:
A. Sudan imports all its food
B. SAF bombed all farmlands
C. Farmers have been displaced and supply lines disrupted
D. The Nile River has dried up
Answer: C
Explanation: Agriculture collapse + blockades → famine conditions.
16. Sudan’s crisis impacts India primarily due to:
A. India’s dependence on Sudanese oil
B. Threats to the Red Sea trade corridor
C. Sudan hosting Indian military bases
D. Sudan’s role in BRICS
Answer: B
Explanation: Red Sea instability affects Indian shipping through Bab el-Mandeb–Suez route.
17. Which of the following best describes the RSF?
A. A branch of the Sudanese judiciary
B. A tribal militia formalised under Bashir
C. A UN peacekeeping contingent
D. A foreign mercenary force
Answer: B
Explanation: RSF originated from the Janjaweed militias and was institutionalised by Bashir.
18. The 9.8 million displaced persons in Sudan represent:
A. The largest displacement crisis globally
B. The slowest growing displacement crisis globally
C. A crisis limited to Darfur
D. Only cross-border refugees
Answer: A
Explanation: Sudan is now the world’s largest displacement crisis.
19. Why is Kordofan region strategically important in the conflict?
A. It hosts Sudan’s central banking sector
B. It is the only region with access to the Mediterranean
C. It contains significant oil and transport corridors
D. It is Sudan’s agricultural hub for cotton
Answer: C
Explanation: RSF seeks oil-rich zones + strategic routes linking east and west Sudan.
20. Which of the following is the MOST crucial long-term requirement for sustainable peace in Sudan?
A. Increasing IMF loan ceilings
B. Complete demobilisation and integration of RSF
C. Retaining military rule
D. Establishing a monarchy
Answer: B
Explanation: Fragmented armed forces must be unified for political stability.
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