EEPA reports on Sudanese government to sue the UAE and RSF

BRUSSELS | 20 July 2026 (IDN | EEPA) — The following are the situation reports on Sudan, Ethiopia, Food and water shortages in El Obeid and UK and US announce new sanctions on Sudan.

International and regional situation (per 20 July)

The Sudanese government has revealed that it has conclusive evidence of the involvement of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the war in Sudan, as well as its violations committed against civilians in the country, and that it is intending to sue the UAE and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The judicial confrontations would be conducted through three simultaneous paths: the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and specialised national and international courts.
Sudan’s Minister of Justice, Abdullah Daraf, has also criticised the ICC for its inaction and lack of arrest warrants against leaders of the RSF, who he accuses of having committed genocide crimes.
The Deputy Prosecutor of the ICC presented its 43rd report to the Security Council on 15 July, stating that the Office of the Prosecutor found corroborated evidence that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed, with gender-based crimes and crimes against children being a top priority.
The Deputy Prosecutor also stated that the RSF refused to cooperate, urged Sudan to surrender remaining fugitives, and warned of a potential imminent attack on El Obeid, calling for Security Council action to accelerate arrest warrants and proceedings.
The Deputy Prosecutor further stated that progress is being made in the investigation of crimes committed in El Geneina and El Fasher and their surrounding areas during the ongoing war in Sudan.
An Egyptian delegation is set to visit Sudan to look into potential investments in the fields of infrastructure, transportation and logistics services.
General Al-Burhan, the head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, met with Eritrean President, Isaias Afwerki, on 17 July to discuss bilateral ties and regional security, emphasising the need to strengthen ties between the Sudanese and Eritrean people.
The Aswan High Dam in Egypt is causing environmental degradation downstream, inhibiting the flow of sediments and nutrients to downstream agricultural areas and reducing the overall water quality. The lack of sediments also increases the vulnerability of Egypt’s coastline.
Two Ethiopian Nationals accused of running human trafficking networks between Ethiopia and the UAE have been extradited from the UAE to Ethiopia. Two alleged accomplices accused of recruiting migrants, collecting payments and opening bank accounts on the traffickers’ behalf were arrested inside Ethiopia.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Eritrean government to end the compulsory military training during secondary school and reform its indefinite national service in response to the 38th graduation ceremony of secondary school students from the Sawa military training center.
23 Children and one adult died in a school bus crash in Eastern Uganda on Thursday night returning from a school trip.

Situation in Sudan (per 20 July)

The city of El Obeid in North Kordofan State is facing food, water and fuel shortages due to the sharp increase of the city’s population as displaced populations have fled to the city, the blocking of aid delivery to the area, and the destruction of water infrastructure by the RSF.
The water deficit in the city has reached 70% after RSF drone strikes knocked out the main water sources.
Over 2,000 people have been arrested in Khartoum during a security crackdown on crime by Sudanese authorities.
The United Kingdom (UK) has announced a sanctions package targeting 11 individuals and entities suspected to be linked to the “financing, procurement and commercial networks supporting the RSF or the SAF”. The individuals and entities are all related to the conflict-related gold trade in Sudan.
Additional sanctions from the United States (US) inhibiting any loans, financial assistance, or technical aid to Sudan from international financial institutions are taking effect on 20 July. The sanctions were announced as a response to allegations that the SAF used chemical weapons against the RSF.
The Sudan Founding Alliance “ESSA” has called for an investigation into the use of chemical weapons in Sudan, urging the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to take measures against those proven responsible for the use of banned chemicals.
The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Nabil Fahmy, and the senior advisor to the US president for Arab and African affairs, Massad Boulos, held talks in Cairo on 18 July on diplomatic strategies to end the conflict and restore stability in Sudan.
The talks ended in an agreement to establish a regular framework for joint coordination to halt the war in Sudan and mitigate the country’s humanitarian crisis.
The United Nations (UN) has urged parties involved in Sudan’s gum arabic value chain to ensure compliance with international law in a report examining the trade in gum arabic as a case study on the adverse human rights impacts of Sudan’s war economy.
Sudan is facing demographic challenges as a result of the war, with cities containing populations beyond their capacity and many areas having lost large parts of their economic infrastructure.

Situation in Ethiopia (per 20 July)

Hundreds of people participated in a protest in Addis Ababa on 18 July against the alleged forced recruitment of civilians in Tigray by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
The protestors urged the federal government to protect civilians in Tigray and ensure the implementation of the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. Demonstrators also accused the TPLF of misusing federal budget allocations intended for social services.
During the demonstration, the former President of the Tigray Interim Regional Government, Getachew Reda, warned that the forced mobilisation is putting Tigray at risk of entering another conflict. Getachew also called for an end to the trafficking of youths to Sudan.
Prior to the demonstration, the TPLF accused the organisers of serving the agenda of the federal government, stating that regional issues must be addressed within the region itself.

Links of interest

Khartoum reveals evidence to sue the UAE and criticizes the International Criminal Court

ICC Deputy Prosecutor: ‘Investigations into El Geneina and El Fasher in Darfur ‘have made progress’

Businessman Naguib Sawiris is part of a high-ranking Egyptian delegation visiting Sudan

Sudan’s Burhan holds talks with Eritrean president in Asmara

News: Study says Egypt’s Aswan High Dam accelerated Nile Delta erosion, land subsidence by trapping Ethiopian sediment

News: Ethiopian Fed. Police extradite two suspected human traffickers from UAE in joint operation

A New Generation of Eritreans Enters Indefinite Service

Death toll from Uganda school bus crash rises to 24

UN says Sudan’s El Obeid faces severe food crisis over food rations

SF siege of Sudan’s El Obeid leaves city facing 70% water shortage

Sudanese police arrest 2,000 in Khartoum anti-crime sweep