Situation in Sudan (per 14 August)
- At least 40 people have been killed in an attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the Abou Shouk displacement camp close to El Fasher, North Darfur, on Monday, states the Abu Shouk Emergency Response Room. Civilians were shot in their homes and in public.
- The Yale Humanitarian Research Lab is investigating images and videos of the attack, which are “allegedly showing RSF shooting at people crawling away from them and berating and using ethnic slurs”.
- The city of El Fasher was also attacked at the same time by the RSF.
- RSF attacked a group of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) travelling from Nyala, South Darfur, to the Alsalam IDP camp. One IDP was killed, and the three others were injured.
- Cholera continues to spread rapidly across Sudan, with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warning they saw 2,300 cholera patients, and 40 deaths, in Darfur in the last week alone.
- New testimonies of sexual violence in Sudan highlight the brutal and dehumanizing nature of the attacks. The majority of the testimonies identify RSF as the perpetrators.
- Over 60 people reportedly died from malnutrition in El Fasher last week.
Situation in Ethiopia (per 14 August)
- Leader of the Tigray Peace Force (TPF) Gen. Gebregzabher Beyene stated that there was a clash between Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) and TPF that lasted for 30 minutes on Friday. He stated the TDF started firing bullets at a TPF unit in Afar.
- There is little information on the outcome of the Prosperity Party (PP) meeting of last week. The PP issued a statement doubling down on access to the Red Sea and pledging to strengthen security responses against “treasonous forces”.
- The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) annual report highlights ongoing human rights violations, including arbitrary detentions and abuses under military rule, particularly in the Amhara, Oromia, Central, and Southern regions.
- The report also notes that the amended CSO proclamation threatens civic rights ahead of the national election, with over half of the 1,258 complaints received concerning breaches of political and civic rights.
Situation in Somalia (per 14 August)
- Talks between Somalia’s opposition coalition and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud over the country’s electoral process broke down. The President reportedly rejected proposals by the opposition to make changes to the electoral framework.
Regional Situation (per 14 August)
- Social media videos and pictures reportedly show an unregistered Kenyan flight transporting high-ranking RSF officers to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for medical treatment, with conflicting claims about whether it was a Kenyan Airways plane or a private aircraft registered in Kenya.
- Photos appear to depict injured men in RSF uniforms being offloaded from the plane yesterday afternoon, with one individual claiming to have recognized one of the RSF officers among them.
International Situation (per 14 August)
- The United States and Sudan held talks in Switzerland on Monday. The talks were held between the delegations of Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor for Africa at the US Department of State, and Sudanese President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
- The delegations reportedly met to discuss a US peace plan for Sudan. The meeting comes after SAF boycotted a previous meeting organised by the US in Switzerland.
- The UN Security Council rejected the formation of a parallel government by the RSF in a statement on Wednesday, calling the move “a direct threat to Sudan’s territorial integrity”. The UNSC called on the SAF and RSF to resume talks.
- A report by the US department of state on Eritrea concludes that the human rights situation in Eritrea remained dire, with ongoing government abuses including torture, arbitrary detention, restrictions on freedom of expression and religion, trafficking, and lack of accountability for officials committing abuses.
- The US report on Ethiopia states that conflicts persisted in the Amhara and Oromia regions, leading to widespread human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, and significant abuses were reported, including ethnic cleansing and violence against women.
- South Sudan and Israel both denied an Associated Press report which cited six sources who said that the countries are in discussion about possible resettlement of Palestinians from the Gaza strip to South Sudan.
- A joint statement by 29 donors to Sudan raises the alarm about the desperate situation in and around El Fasher, calling for a humanitarian pause as aid cannot be delivered to the city.
Refugee and Migration Situation (per 14 August)
- At least 26 refugees and migrants died after a shipwreck off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy. More people could be missing. 60 people have been rescued so far.
- The group had departed from Tripoli, Libya. A rescue operation was started after an aircraft spotted bodies in the water.
- Refugees organized a demonstration in the Afar Regional State of Ethiopia regarding grave crimes and systematic human rights violations by the Eritrean regime against the Red Sea Afar people over the past three decades.
- The Red Sea Afar Democratic Organisation submitted complaints against Eritrea to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Links of interest
Dozens killed in attack on Sudan camp for people who had fled war
Sudan: UN ‘deeply alarmed’ by major attack on besieged El Fasher
South Darfur: One IDP killed and three others injured during an attack by RSF fighters in Nyala
War fuels cholera outbreak across Sudan
New testimonies of harrowing incidents of sexual violence in Sudan
Incumbent Rebukes ‘Historical Enemies, Treasonous Forces’ in Fiery Post-Congress Statement
Rights Commission Condemns Unlawful Military Rule, Widespread Abuse in Annual Report
Somalia: Somali Opposition Leaders Hold High-Stakes Meeting At Rooble’s Residence After Election Talks Collapse
Statement of the Demonstration Organizing Committee of Red Sea Afar Refugees, Ayssaita Refugee Camp, Ethiopia
U.S.-Sudan talks conducted in Switzerland
Security Council rejects creation of rival government in Sudan
2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Eritrea
2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Ethiopia
South Sudan denies report of talks with Israel on Gaza resettlement
Joint donor statement on the situation in and around El Fasher, Sudan, by 29 donors
At least 26 refugees and migrants die in shipwreck off Italy’s Lampedusa
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