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Since 15 April 2023, Sudan has been caught up in a war between two armed forces. This article seeks to contextualise this confrontation within a longer history by analysing the shift from the December 2018 revolution towards war and describing the main dynamics of the conflict. Based on fieldwork carried out before the war, the article shows that it is a continuation of the competition for control of the state apparatus and a part of the historical trajectory of the governance of violence through the use of militias. The expansion of the conflict has led to a spread of weapons among the population and accentuated the political and security fragmentation that began during the transition period.