Situation in Sudan (per 2 June)
- Kamil Idris was sworn in as Sudan’s new prime minister on Saturday. His informal predecessor was Dafallah Al-Haj Yousif, Sudan’s former ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Idris is the first prime minister since the coup in 2021.
- Idris announced the dissolution of the Sudanese caretaker government on Sunday. It was not specified when a new government will be announced. The current government will continue its duties until then.
- A drone attack on a hospital on El Obeid in North Kordofan killed six people and injured 12 on 30 May. The attack was attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
- The hospital sustained severe damage to the main building. Services at the hospital were suspended.
- RSF reportedly regained control over Al-Debeibat, Al-Hamadi, Al-Khuwei, and Umm Sumaymah in West, South and North Kordofan, reversing some of the progress made by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
- Longer supply lines and fuel shortages amidst RSF attacks on key infrastructure makes it harder for SAF to keep control over towns, states Sudan War Monitor.
- The cholera epidemic continues to worsen, with 70 people dying in just two days in Khartoum last week. The epidemic is fueled by power outages at water purification plants, causing people to resort to drinking untreated water.
- Volunteers working to help fight the epidemic have reportedly been subjected to summons and interrogations over revealing the extent of the cholera outbreak.
- Women and girls in the Darfur region are in constant danger of sexual violence, reports Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Women and girls tell MSF that they are attacked anywhere, even in their own homes, often by more than one perpetrator.
- Of the 659 survivors MSF spoke to, 86% was raped, 96% were women and girls, 56% was assaulted by a non-civilian, 55% faced additional physical violence, and 31% was younger than 18 years old. 7% were under 10 years old, and 2.6% under 5.
- The only mycetoma research center in Sudan, located in Khartoum, has been destroyed, and with it, a lot of vital data has been lost. The neglected tropical disease mainly affects people in remote areas with limited access to healthcare.
Situation in Ethiopia (per 2 June)
- The massacre at Birakat, Amhara region, two months ago on 31 March is an example of a disturbing pattern of reprisal attacks against civilians by the Ethiopian government, states The Economist.
- Witnesses of the Birakat massacre report that the Ethiopian National Defense Forces dragged people out of their houses, rounded them up and executed dozens of them. This resembles atrocities committed by the Ethiopian army in Tigray.
- Between 30 and 40 heavy truck drivers have been kidnapped in the Amhara region over the last two weeks, states the Tana Heavy Vehicle Drivers Association. The kidnapping situation is reportedly worsening amidst a lack of security and accountability.
- The kidnappers usually demand ransoms ranging from 50,000 to one million Ethiopian birr (300 – 6,500 EUR). Transport of goods is facing severe restrictions due to the security situation.
- The Ethiopian government restricted access of trucks into Tigray since last week, stating concerns over goods being smuggled across the Tigray border. The traffic has now resumed.
- The Tigray Interim Administration and the Ethiopian Federal Government have reportedly agreed to establish a joint committee to verify the claims that items were being smuggled out.
Situation in Eritrea (per 2 June)
- There is a shrinking space of refuge for Eritrean refugees, as their access to identity and travel documentation and registration procedures are impeded and their livelihoods and support networks are destroyed, states Mixed Migration Centre (MMC).
- Furthermore, the ability to seek protection in neighbouring countries is disrupted and they face a heightened risk of deportation back to Eritrea. Community support systems are strained to the limit.
- Resettlement opportunities, particularly to Canada, have given Eritreans some hope to stay put, but Canada has now suspended new registrations.
Situation in Somalia (per 2 June)
- Mahad Mohamed Salad has been appointed as Somalia’s new director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA). He replaces former director Abdullahi Mohamed Ali.
- Salad is a close political ally of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The appointment of Salad, who has held the position before, is seen as an attempt to consolidate power ahead of the election cycle.
Regional Situation (per 2 June)
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed bilateral relations, regional and global issues in a phone call with Somali counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Saturday.
- The war in Sudan has a large impact on South Sudan’s oil economy, but this is not the only problem facing the oil industry there, states Associate Professor Jan Pospisil. It is also faced with a decline in the quality of oil wells and a lack of capacity to extract the oil.
- Most of the oil income goes to repayment of debt and loans, as well as transport fees to Sudan. South Sudan is facing a heavy deficit on its budget.
International Situation (per 2 June)
- The United Nations Security Council renewed the arms embargo on South Sudan for another year.
- The United States Embassy in Ethiopia redacted a statement it put out on 23 May, removing a direct appeal to the Ethiopian government to cease the use of drone strikes against civilians.
Links of interest
Sudan’s new prime minister dissolves caretaker government
Kamil Idris sworn in as Sudan’s new prime minister
Sudan: Several killed in RSF strike on hospital
RSF counterattacks and reverses Sudan army’s latest gains in Kordofan
Sudan reports 70 cholera deaths in Khartoum in two days
Sudan’s healthcare falters as cholera outbreak expands
Sexual violence in Sudan: “They beat us and they raped us right there on the road in public”
Sudan’s only mycetoma research center destroyed in Khartoum fighting
What a massacre reveals about Abiy Ahmed’s Ethiopia
መንቀሊ ክልከላ ናብ ትግራይ ዝሓልፋ መካይን ‘መንግስቲ ዘይቆጻጸሮ ኮንትሮባንድ ዕዳጋ’ ድዩ?
Shifting protections experiences of displaced Eritreans
Somalia appoints new intelligence chief
Is Sudan’s war the reason for South Sudan’s economic crisis? What’s really going on with oil revenue
Turkish President Erdogan discusses security, energy with Somali counterpart Mohamud
South Sudan: Renewal of UN arms embargo a welcome move to protect civilians
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