BRUSSELS | 23 July 2026 (IDN | EEPA) — The following are the situation reports on Sudan, Ethiopia, Military movements around Asosa, 17 suspects of human trafficking arrested in Ethiopia and TPLF public mobilization in Tigray.
Situation in Sudan (per 23 July)
- The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) accused the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) of using chemical weapons in an air strike on Umm Garfa, North Kordofan, killing 10 civilians and injuring 18, adding that civilian areas and water sources were targeted over the weekend.
- Sudan’s Ministry of Energy and Oil says the suspension of electricity imports from Ethiopia is one of the contributors to worsening nationwide blackouts, which in some areas last more than 18 hours per day.
- The ministry attributes the electricity crisis to several overlapping causes, including higher summer demand, damaged power infrastructure, shortages of fuel and spare parts, and ongoing vandalism.
- About 400,000 displaced people in parts of North Kordofan are estimated to be in acute emergency levels of food insecurity, according to a new assessment by the World Food Programme (WFP).
- Humanitarian groups warn that conditions in Darfur displacement camps are rapidly collapsing, with many areas facing total lack of food aid, unsafe water, and failing healthcare systems, pushing thousands of civilians toward starvation, disease, and increased malnutrition.
- The humanitarian crisis is worsening with the rainy season, communication breakdowns, and shrinking humanitarian operations due to funding shortfalls.
Situation in Ethiopia (per 23 July)
- A new military activity has been reported to be seen in a military camp near Asosa, Benishangul-Gumuz Region, located close to the border with Sudan. Witnesses reported on transports coming to the camp and machinery being moved.
- The new activity in Asosa is seen in the aftermath of the SAF re-capturing the border town of Kurmuk earlier this month.
- Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) senior officials have been conducting public meetings in several localities across Tigray, aimed at public mobilisation, calling for strengthening Tigray’s security through military capacity and unity between civilians and fighters.
- TPLF says it will support forming alliances with other groups opposing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government, calling it a necessary response to a shared “threat”.
- Fano forces linked to the Amhara Fano National Movement claim to have deterred a week-long offensive by Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) in the Dega Damot area of Gojjam, with multiple fronts still reported being active, including battles aimed at taking the Chokie Mountain chain.
- The Ethiopian Cooperate for Victory and Transition coalition, stated that Ethiopia’s National Dialogue, launched on 15 July, is a staged process controlled by the ruling Prosperity Party that excludes key actors, lacks public legitimacy, and will not enable a political transition or prevent further conflict.
- Internal displacement in Tigray remains dynamic as some Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) sites are growing due to new arrivals and secondary displacement, while others shrink as people return or relocate, reports Shelter, Land and Site Coordination Cluster, according to the 2026 site profiling.
International and regional situation (per 23 July)
- Amid rising instability in South Sudan, civilians are increasingly refraining from commenting on the political situation in the country in fear of being arrested or facing consequences.
- Semere Russom, Eritrea’s ambassador to Ethiopia from 2018 to 2025, has died at age 83, according to the Eritrean Ministry of Information.
Migration and refugee situation (per 23 July)
- 17 suspects have been accused by the Ethiopian Federal Police of operating a cross-border human trafficking network that transported more than 40,000 people to Saudi Arabia via Djibouti and Yemen, extorting over 1 billion Ethiopian Birr and causing the deaths of more than 60 people.
- The investigation files were handed to the Ethiopian Ministry of Justice, including extensive documentation and witness testimonies.
- The investigation alleges that the network has been led by a human trafficker Mohamed Tahir Aden, also known as “Wardi”.
- A new Multi-Purpose Hub was launched in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, aimed at providing refugees and asylum-seekers with protection support, information, counseling, and referrals through physical, digital or hybrid spaces.
- The Hub, which was established in collaboration between UNHCR, the Ethiopian Refugees and Returnees Service, the Government of Japan, and the AU, intends to offer services including legal aid, child protection, gender-based violence response, mental health support, and livelihood assistance.
- 31 civil society organizations are urging the EU and its member states to stop cooperating with Libyan migration-control authorities, warning that strengthening ties with both Eastern and Western Libyan administrations would perpetuate abuse against refugees and migrants.
- The statment further warned that EU support has enabled interceptions and forced returns, exposing people to detention, killings, torture, sexual violence, extortion, and forced labor.
- The Council of Europe, urged five EU countries, including Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands, to ensure that rejected asylum seekers who would be deported to controversial “return hubs” in third countries are fully protected under international law.
- It warned that shifting deportations to third countries could enable mistreatment and arbitrary detention unless strict safeguards are in place, including human rights risk assessments, enforceable binding agreements, and strong monitoring, involving judicial, parliamentary, and public oversight.
- Croatian police reportedly shouted anti-Muslim remarks at a Sudanese refugee and then beat him, confiscated his belongings, and forced him to walk barefoot into Bosnia preventing him to seek asylum.
- This incident aligns with other reports of violence and pushbacks at Croatia’s border, which are used to deter irregular crossings and block access to asylum procedures.
- Aid of $24 million was received by the WFP from the US to help provide food assistance to over 150,000 refugees and crisis-affected people in Egypt.
Links of interest
RSF-aligned gov’t accuses Sudan army of ‘chemical weapons attack in North Kordofan’
Sudan blames power cuts on Ethiopian line halt, damage to grid
400,000 displaced people face acute food insecurity in North Kordofan
Hunger, disease, dispair: Darfur’s displaced bear ever-mounting toll of Sudan war
Fano: Tigray People’s Liberation Front/TPLF/’s post
Fano Forces Say They Reversed Offensive in the Dega Damot Area of Gojjam
Semere Russom, Former Eritrean Ambassador to Ethiopia, Passed Away
Facebook: Ethiopian Federal Police’s post
EU Should End Abusive Migration Cooperation with Libyan Authorities
EU expands Libya cooperation despite repeated warnings over violence at sea
Council of Europe warns five EU states of rights risks in return hub plans
The United States boosts support for food assistance for Sudanese refugees in Egypt
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