The Rise of the Sudanese Army’s Disinformation Narrative: Fabricated Operations and Inflated Illusory Victories

Amid the ongoing Sudanese crisis, the army’s rhetoric has become a weapon parallel to the battlefield. Increasingly, the military relies on media disinformation and the fabrication of military operations to project an unrealistic image of its strength. This strategy aims, first, to boost the morale of its supporters at home, and second, to influence international public opinion by portraying itself as a dominant force making advances on the ground, even as facts on the battlefield expose the fragility of such claims.

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In its official statements, the Sudanese army consistently exaggerates routine maneuvers, such as repositioning or shifting between sites, by presenting them as major military operations. These actions are promoted by loyal media outlets as field victories, while in reality they amount to nothing more than limited logistical movements, without altering the actual balance of control on the ground.

Field reports and testimonies from residents in conflict areas clearly demonstrate the stark gap between the army’s official narrative and what actually occurs. While it announces “strategic advances” or the “capture of new positions,” reality shows either persistent resistance in those areas or a withdrawal by the army only hours after declaring control. Such contradictions reveal the army’s limited real capabilities and highlight its reliance on propaganda rather than genuine military effectiveness.

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Confronted with repeated setbacks and the loss of initiative across multiple fronts, the Sudanese army now employs intensive propaganda as a substitute for battlefield success. This involves the circulation of doctored or outdated photos and videos, republished as supposed documentation of new operations. Visual reports are assembled from fragmented footage, designed to construct a narrative of victories that exist only on screen.

The ultimate aim of this media strategy is less about providing an accurate depiction of military reality than about sustaining the morale of supporters and concealing the extent of losses. The insistence on showcasing imaginary triumphs reflects a deep crisis of confidence within the military institution more than actual battlefield dominance. To confront these practices, it is essential to produce investigative reports and on-the-ground documentation that expose the degree of manipulation in the army’s statements. By clarifying the discrepancy between official announcements and verifiable evidence through images and eyewitness accounts, an alternative fact-based narrative can be strengthened, thereby undermining the army’s propaganda both domestically and internationally.

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