Situation in Sudan (per 20 November)
- Some of the heaviest fighting in a year has been reported in the Greater Kordofan region, between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and allied militias, with the centre of the conflict shifting, following the redeployment of forces after the RSF captured El Fasher last month.
- The SAF have reportedly attempted to conquer and hold key positions along the El Obeid – Khartoum highway, but were pushed back by the RSF.
- Both sides have reported heavy losses in personnel and military equipment amid intense fighting, particularly in the North Kordofan plains and the besieged city of Babanusa, West Kordofan.
- Satellite imagery reveals continuous body disposals between 26 October and 13 November in four different sites in El Fasher, North Darfur, three of which have not been previously identified, shows a new report of Humanitarian Research Lab and Yale School of Public Health.
- The sites include the El-Fasher University, the western edge of Abu Shouk Camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), Al-Hikma Mosque; and the Saudi Hospital, with burning and burials of bodies observed.
- The report states that the scale or speed of killings by the RSF cannot be concluded, though the continuous disposals are alarming given the large number of missing individuals.
- 100,000 people have been displaced from El Fasher as of 17 November, with an estimated 260,000 residing in the city before it was captured on 26 October, according to IOM.
- Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for UN OCHA, has described the situation in Darfur as a “crime scene” and “horror show” after a recent 7-day visit to the region where he spoke with many survivors, further calling for the international community to act.
Situation in Ethiopia (per 20 November)
- University students in multiple campuses across Ethiopia have protested the newly adopted directive requiring them to undertake one year of national service which will start in the coming years for students enrolled since the 2026/2027 academic year.
- The law, which was introduced in April this year, requires students to be deployed in national service after completion of their third year of university in order “to serve the community that provided them with free education,” said Prof. Berhanu Nega, minister of education.
- Thousands of victims of sexual violence, between the age of 8 – 65, have been reported in Amhara region between July 2023 and May 2025, according to data collected by the BBC Tigrinya, noting that the true scale of this violence is unknown due to limited investigation and data.
- 3 deaths from the Ebola-like Marburg virus have been confirmed in Jinka, close to the South Sudanese border, after an outbreak was declared on Friday. No further active cases have been reported.
Regional & International Situation (per 20 November)
- The International Criminal Court (ICC) has demanded a life sentence for former Janjaweed militia leader, Ali Kushayb, who is accused of 27 counts of war crimes, and crimes against humanity in the Darfur region committed between August 2003 and April 2004.
- The UN Security Council voted to extend the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) by one year, noting any further 2026 extension will depend on Sudan’s and South Sudan’s progress on halting the fighting in the disputed region, with benchmarks including a joint police force and demilitarization.
- US President Donald Trump has pledged to focus on a resolution to the Sudan war on Wednesday, following the visit of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington, during which he urged US action in the peace efforts.
- South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit has removed a police chief and 4 ministers, including the minister of justice and constitutional affairs, the minister of roads and bridges, the minister of environment and forestry, and the minister of information.
- Their removal was announced through presidential decrees without providing further explanation.
- 322,000 people have been displaced in South Sudan since January due to intensified fighting, including over 165,000 from municipalities in Western Equatoria State, since June, according to UN OCHA.
Refugee and Migration Situation (per 20 November)
- The Dutch public prosecutor has demanded the maximum of a 20-year prison sentence, with damage compensations to victims, in the case of the alleged human trafficker Tewelde Goitom “Walid”, after presenting the indictment and all charges to the court yesterday.
- Witnesses exercised their right to speak during Monday’s hearing, with two victims being present in the courtroom and two other testimonies presented by the lawyers.
- “At the moment Mr. Walid is a suspect to you. To me he is not. I was there, I am a victim and a witness, I saw everything. To you he may be a suspect; to me he is a perpetrator,” said the Witness E.
- The personal circumstances of the suspect were also discussed detailing the examination report from Pieter Baan Centrum (PBC), a psychiatric observation clinic.
- Asylum seekers will be relocated from Spain, Italy, Greece and Cyprus, to other EU member states after these countries have been classified as “under migratory pressure” by the EU Commission on 11 November, with Poland, Hungary and Slovakia refusing to participate in this regulation.
- The United Kingdom unveiled its plans to tighten migration rules, aiming to end refugees’ right to permanent settlement and accelerate the deportation of “illegal” immigrants, following a broader trend of European nations calling for reinterpreting the European Convention on Human Rights.
- At least four people have died after two boats carrying about 96 people capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya’s coast on Saturday, reports Libyan Red Crescent.
Links of interest
Widespread Fighting Engulfs Kordofan Region
Atrocity Alert Evidence of Ongoing Body Disposal in El-Fasher
DTM Sudan Flash Alert: Al Fasher (Al Fasher town), North Darfur
Sudan’s el-Fasher ‘a crime scene’ after RSF takeover: UN aid chief
“ቢገድሉኝ ይሻል ነበር”፡ የሴቶችን ሕይወት እያበላሸ ያለው የተዘነጋው የአማራ ክልል ጦርነት
Ethiopia confirms 3 deaths from Ebola-like Marburg virus in new outbreak
Äthiopien: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise (Teilreisewarnung)
ICC prosecutors request life sentence for convicted Darfur janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb
UN extends peacekeeping mission in disputed Abyei region for another year
Sudan: Trump to focus on ending civil war
South Sudan’s president sacks 4 ministers, governor, police chief in major Cabinet shake-up
South Sudan: Humanitarian Snapshot (October 2025)
Dutch prosecutors seek 20-year prison sentence for Eritrea-Libya trafficking suspect
EU to relocate asylum seekers from Spain, Italy, Greece and Cyprus to other member states
Britain toughens asylum policy in major overhaul as anti-immigration sentiment rises
The Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) Indicator Report
At least four dead after migrant boats sink in Mediterranean
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