No. 715 – 26 March 2026
Europe External Programme with Africa is a Belgium-based Centre of Expertise with in-depth knowledge, publications, and networks, specialised in issues of peacebuilding, refugee protection, and resilience in the Horn of Africa. EEPA has published extensively on issues related to the movement and/or human trafficking of refugees in the Horn of Africa and on the Central Mediterranean Route. It cooperates with a wide network of universities, research organisations, civil society, and experts from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, and across Africa. The Situation Reports can be found here. To receive the situation report in your e-mail, click here. You can unsubscribe at any moment through the link at the bottom of each e-mail.
Situation in Sudan (per 26 March)
- The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) together with Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) captured the strategic town of Kurmuk, Blue Nile State, bordering Ethiopia, on 23 March.
- The Sudan Doctors Network reported the destruction of Kurmuk’s hospital and pharmacy and the assault on health workers.
- A Sudanese government official has accused Ethiopia of aiding the RSF and allied militia during their operation to capture Kurmuk.
- Drone strikes on markets and roads across Sudan’s Darfur and Kordofan regions killed at least 28 civilians, including an infant, on Wednesday with a strike on a market in Saraf Omra, North Darfur killing 22 people.
- An attack on a truck in North Kordofan killed six people, with medical sources accusing the RSF.
- The UN Human Rights Office reported that over 500 civilians were killed in drone strikes across Sudan between 1 January and 15 March, with attacks escalating sharply and spilling across the Chad border.
- UN Personal Envoy for Sudan Pekka Haavisto met with Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Port Sudan. During the first visit since his February appointment, Haavisto called for de-escalation and dialogue as essential steps toward a cessation of hostilities.
- Sudan’s Finance Minister Gebreil Ibrahim also met with Haavisto to discuss peace prospects, with the minister rejecting ready-made international solutions while both sides emphasized confidence-building measures including prisoner exchanges, humanitarian corridors, and a short-term ceasefire.
- Fires destroyed more than 881 shelters across displacement camps in the Tawila area and parts of North Darfur due to the high temperatures and flammable building material, leaving families homeless.
- Up to 91% of displaced households across Sudan’s three Kordofan states received no humanitarian assistance in the past three months, reports UN Women.
Situation in Ethiopia (per 26 March)
- The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) claimed to have killed 256, wounded 179, and captured 122 Ethiopian National Defense Force soldiers, including district administrators, during operations in the East and West Shoa zones, Oromia region, less than 100 kilometers from Addis Ababa.
- Thousands of teachers, students, and senior Tigray Interim Administration officials took to the streets across Mekelle and other towns in Tigray on 24 March, protesting 16 months of unpaid salaries affecting over 32,000 teachers and the exclusion of 1.2 million children from school.
International and regional situation (per 26 March)
- The UN condemned the attack on the El-Daein Teaching Hospital in Sudan, with the World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adnahom Ghebreyesus stating that over 2,000 people have now been killed in more than 200 attacks on health facilities since the war began in April 2023.
- South Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleum announced a production increase from 95,000 to 100,000 barrels per day following a successful drilling campaign at the Al Nahal field in Paloch, Upper Nile State.
- The African Union Commission chairperson appointed former Tanzanian president Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete as AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, tasking him with advancing inclusive dialogue.
- Kenya’s Energy Cabinet Secretary ordered oil marketers to immediately release hoarded fuel stocks at regulated prices, warning of serious sanctions against companies withholding supplies in anticipation of price increases.
- Somalia’s South West State officials accused Somalia’s Federal Government of waging a “direct military war” against the regional administration, warning that the crisis risks descending into clan-based civil conflict. The accusation comes a few days after the Somali federal government announced the mandate of the regional president and cabinet had lapsed.
- The head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Sudan, Mohamed Refaat, warned that Sudan’s conflict is at a tipping point comparable to Syria in 2011, cautioning that without serious efforts to resolve the war, large-scale cross-border displacement could increase even more.
Refugee and Migration Situation (per 26 March)
- At least 42,000 unaccompanied and separated children have been registered across Sudan and neighbouring countries as a result of the conflict, with Chad hosting the largest group of 24,000, reported the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- The EU and Nigeria signed a readmission and returns agreement committing to the speedy repatriation of Nigerians without legal status in Europe. The agreement is paired with a €290 million investment package covering digitalization, health, and agriculture.
- Nine people drowned and 45 remain missing after a boat carrying 320 passengers sank off the coast of Djibouti north of Obock.
- Outgoing migration from Ethiopia along the Eastern Route rose by 18% to over 506,000 in 2025, which the IOM reported was the deadliest year ever recorded on the route from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, with 922 deaths and disappearances, nearly doubling the previous year.
- The IOM further warned of new smuggling tactics using remote routes to bypass checkpoints across Djibouti, Somalia, and Yemen.
- Chad began relocating at least 2,300 refugees, mostly women and children, away from the border areas with Sudan amid rising insecurity.
Links of interest
Sudanese Rebels Overrun Army Garrison at Ethiopia Border
Sudan army secures borders with Ethiopia and South Sudan after Kurmuk attack
At least 28 civilians killed in Sudan drone strikes on Thursday: health workers | Arab News
Sudan: Sharp increase in civilian deaths as a result of growing drone warfare | OHCHR
UN envoy urges de-escalation in Sudan to end conflict after Burhan talks
Finance Minister Meets UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy to Sudan – allAfrica.com
Fires destroy hundreds of shelters in Darfur displacement camps
Oromo Liberation Army Claims Significant Military Gain
Most displaced families in Sudan’s Kordofan without aid for months, UN says
Sudan Hospital Attack Marks ‘New Low’ In Brutal Conflict, UN Says – allAfrica.com
South Sudan targets increased oil production as prices surge above $100
CS Wandayi orders oil marketers to stop fuel hoarding
Somalia: Southwest State Says Federal Government Actions Amount to “Direct War”
Sudan’s war nears Syria-style refugee tipping point, UN migration agency says – POLITICO
UN records 42,000 unaccompanied Sudanese children as war nears third year – Sudan Tribune
EU and Nigeria seal migrant returns pact – InfoMigrants
9 migrants dead, 45 missing in shipwreck off Djibouti: UN
MIGRATION ALONG THE EASTERN ROUTE
Chad begins relocation of refugees along its border with Sudan | Africanews
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