SUDWAR 2023

In 2019, the Sudanese people thought that the removal of dictator Omar al-Bashir would usher in an era of political renewal. But it was not to be.

Instead, it was the start of a new era of oppression and human rights abuses under the transitional government of regular army general Al-Burhan.

As the regional actors move closer to Sudan to seize control of the Red Sea and prevent a civilian independent government from emerging, the transitional government became even more fragile. Hemeti, leader of the strongest pro-government Arab militia in the region, the Rapid Support Forces, could no longer stand Al-Burhan's monopolisation of power as the general of the regular armed forces of Sudan.

On 15 April 2023, civil war broke out between the two generals.

Welcome to war soldier, today you immerse yourself in one of the many conflicts that are tearing Africa apart.

May you keep your ethics

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SudWar, Sudan, Warlords at Odds, is the first edition of a wargame produced by the Strategy Departement from the FDNU, a wargame that we call “WarCogs”.

WarCogs is both a wargame and a MUN, whose purpose is to provide fun and to teach the students about the complexity of modern warfare for a day. You may see it as an educational game to explore war, to increase your decision-making skill, to explore possible futures awaiting the diplomatic world, and to bring you the possibility to think about your nation's strategic stances. It is a wargame because the players embody generals preparing and commanding armies during war times at the strategic scale, and it is a MUN because it’s about another side of international relations : the use of the military. Here up to 30 students won’t be delegates of their nations, but the armed wings of their politicians. They will follow directives of their leader and develop military strategies around them. Diplomacy is solely run by some staff members, but it does not mean players will never have a word to say to them. 

Due to its purpose of bringing insights about modern warfare, all WarCogs editions are set either in a prospective fiction, in the near future, either in the current present. Here we're going to talk about the present conflict in Sudan. A list of events planned by the staff will unfold during the game. The players are gathered in teams of 5 high military officers for each of the main actors chosen for the edition. All actions taken by the players may create new unpredictable events that might alter the ones planned by the staff.

WarCogs 1st edition, Sudan, Warlords at Odds, is centered around Sudan. Even though is mostly about the civil war between the two generals, the conflicts existing around the world and those to come impacting the world great powers, notably the Ukrainian conflict, Taiwan and China tensions, Israël and Gaza, Iran civil unrest, Jihadist insurgencies, and every other one the players will bring into the game. It is important to understand that the wargame is not linear, and that unforeseen actions will arise, forcing the players to be on a constant alert about the whole world.

Who are the actors then ? With up to 30 players, each gathered in a team of minimum 3 to maximum 5 (maximum 9 for the SAF and the RSF), there will be up to 6 military forces played, the 6 most important for the edition. All the other military actors in the world are played only by the staff. These are the 6 main actors by order of priority (minimum 4 actors are played) :

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) of general Al-Burhan, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of general Hemeti, the Federation of Russia, the United Arab Emirates, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They had been chosen for their military strength and implication in the edition scenario, but also for their ambitious political agenda, independence and leverage over other countries.