Situation in Sudan (per 7 July)
- Attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in North Kordofan caused tens of thousands of people to flee for the capital of El Obeid. The attacks on villages are an attempt by RSF to tighten the siege on El Obeid.
- El Obeid is also currently in the middle of a cholera outbreak.
- Fighting has intensified in and around El Fasher, North Darfur, and civilians are the main victims, states Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in a new report.
- MSF found systematic patterns of violence that include looting, mass killings, sexual violence, abductions, starvation and attacks against markets, health facilities, and other civilian infrastructure. Access to healthcare has been made nearly impossible due to the constant threats.
- There are fears of ethnic cleansing in El Fasher, as the RSF and allies are targeting civilians on the basis of their ethnicity.
- Clashes between the Kababish and Hawaweer tribes in Al-Dabba, Northern State, have led to at least four deaths. The military intervened.
- According to the governor, the situation is now under control. A curfew is in place.
- 3,800 bodies have been recovered and buried by Sudanese authorities since the fighting in Khartoum ended. The bodies were found in the streets and in homes. During the fighting, many residents were unable to bury the dead in cemeteries.
- Hundreds of mass graves have also been found in Khartoum.
Situation in South Sudan (per 7 July)
- The World Food Programme (WFP) has started to airdrop food aid in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State, as communities have been pushed to the brink of famine.
- The aid is particularly focused on parts of Nasir and Ulang counties, which are only accessible by air.
- Around one million people in Upper Nile state are facing acute hunger, of which over 32,000 people are in the most severe category, catastrophic levels of hunger (IPC5).
Situation in Ethiopia (per 7 July)
- Fighting reportedly broke out between the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) and the newly formed Tigray Peace Force (TPF) last week in southern Tigray near the border with the Afar region. It is understood that the TDF used mortars and machine guns to attack the TPF as it entered Tigray from the Afar region.
- The Tigray Peace Force, named last week, is reportedly led by Brigadier General Gebreegzabher Beyene, who stated that he wants to create a force independent from Tigray parties. Gebreegzabher states that he has organised four military divisions in Afar.
Situation in Kenya (per 7 July)
- Demonstrations are taking place today in Kenya to mark the 35th anniversary of the Saba Saba protests. At least two people have reportedly been shot and killed.
- Security forces blocked all major roads into central Nairobi. Police have deployed water canons and tear gas, as protesters have lit fires and are trying to break through police lines.
- Most of the demonstrations appear to be focused around Nairobi.
Situation in Somalia (per 7 July)
- A military helicopter belonging to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) crashed at an airport in the capital of Mogadishu, killing five Ugandan soldiers. Three others survived.
Regional Situation (per 7 July)
- Ethiopian militias backed by the Ethiopian government have made incursions in the disputed border area of Al-Fashaga, according to a Sudanese official. The Ethiopian militias reportedly expelled Sudanese farmers, and were protecting Ethiopian farmers clearing the land.
- Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gedion Timothewos, accused Eritrea of working with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and other armed groups to plan “major offensive operations during the upcoming rainy season.”
- Gedion made the accusations in a letter to US Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio on 20 June. He also accused Eritrea of repeated provocations and occupation of territory.
- The TPLF responded by denying that it is preparing for war.
International Situation (per 7 July)
- The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has rejected the motion submitted by Eritrea to end the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Eritrea, with only four countries voting in favour (Iran, Sudan, Russia and China).
- A motion by the European Union to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Eritrea by a year passed.
- Eight migrants from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Vietnam and South Sudan were deported to South Sudan after the US Supreme Court allowed it to proceed and a last appeal by the migrants was rejected by a federal judge.
- The flight was detoured to Djibouti while a judge evaluated the last appeal, and arrived in South Sudan on Friday.
- The Russian government reportedly approved the creation of a Russian-Eritrean commission on trade-economic and scientific-technical cooperation, according to Eritrean state media.
- Sudan’s foreign ministry issued a statement accusing the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of using its diplomatic influence to shield the RSF from international condemnation.
- The ministry states that the UAE tried to remove text from a draft statement which referred to RSF as rebels, and tried to insert text referencing the parallel government established by RSF.
Links of interest
Thousands displaced by attacks in Sudan’s Kordofan amid cholera outbreak
Tribal Clashes and Worsening War Escalate Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan’s Northern and Darfur States
Besieged, attacked, starved: Mass atrocities in El Fasher and Zamzam, Sudan
Sudan says 3,800 bodies buried in Khartoum since fighting ended
WFP airdrops food to prevent catastrophe as hunger surges in conflict-hit parts of South Sudan
Rival Tigrayan Factions Clash in South Tigray, Sparking Fears of Renewed Conflict
Analysis: Calls for peace, restrain echo as intra-faction rifts threaten Tigray’s fragile peace
Saba Saba protests: Kenya police fire tear gas at protesters as central Nairobi sealed off
Helicopter on African Union Mission Crashes in Somalia, Killing 5 Ugandan Soldiers
Ethiopian militias making new incursions on Sudan border, official says
News: Ethiopia accuses Eritrea, TPLF faction, and armed groups of plotting rainy season ‘major offensive’, decries ‘territorial occupation’
UN council rejects Eritrea’s bid to end human rights probeUS completes deportation of 8 men to South Sudan after weeks of legal wrangling
Russian Cabinet Approves Creation of Russia-Eritrea Cooperation Commission
Sudan accuses UAE of shielding allied RSF militia at international forums
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