How militia groups capture states and ruin countries

The rise of Sudan’s most notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, shows how armed groups can infiltrate state institutions – often with disastrous results for society.

Sudan’s central government created the Rapid Support Forces in 2013 as dictator Omar al-Bashir’s private protection detail. The group has now become a predator seeking to gain control of Sudan.

Sudan’s war broke out in April 2023 when the military tried to subdue the Rapid Support Forces.

Since then...