Situation in Sudan (per 20 June)

  • Three people died and 27 were injured following an artillery attack which struck Al Nao hospital in northern Omdurman. The attack launched by Rapid Support Forces on Wednesday also hit surrounding neighbourhoods destroying several homes and service facilities.
  • The RSF has reportedly taken control over Al Fula, the capital of West Kordofan State, today.
  • Sudan’s representative to the UN, Al-Harith Idris, accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of providing support to the RSF during the UN Security Council’s meeting on Sudan on Tuesday.
  • In a response, Mohamed Abushahab, UAE representative, called the allegations “ludicrous”, adding that the representative of Sudan represents only the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) interests. Abushahab further asked why the SAF is refusing to resume peace negotiations in Jeddah.
  • RSF launched an offensive against a group of SAF forces in Al Shajara, southwest Khartoum, which has been cut off from the rest of the army since last year. The RSF attack was reportedly repelled and Al Shajara remained  under the SAF control as one of two enclaves in Khartoum.
  • The Zain Communications network was reinstated in Um Rakuba, North Kordofan, on Monday amid a tentative calm period in the city. However, the signal remains weak and the city experiences an ongoing water and electricity crisis.

Situation in Ethiopia (per 20 June)

  • Mismanagement of funds and inconsistencies in accounting practices by several Ethiopian federal government institutions during the 2022/23 fiscal year were exposed by Meseret Demisse, the head of the Office of the Federal Auditor General.
  • Delivering a report to the Ethiopian House of Peoples’ Representatives, Meseret revealed that expenditures of 43.5 million birr went unaccounted for, while 16.7 million birr was disbursed illegally by 30 institutions.
  • Immigration and Citizenship Service resumed its services including passport renewals, replacements and passport corrections this week in Mekelle, Tigray. Services resumed for the first time after closure following the outbreak of war in Tigray three years ago.
  • Spoiled food grains were distributed to 13 districts in Tigray region, confirmed the Emergency Response Task Force. After discovering the spoilt food it was blocked from further distribution.
  • Four people died and eight others were hospitalised after consuming  anthrax-infected beef in Hintalo, South West Tigray. Meat from unvaccinated cattle is dangerous for human consumption with anthrax cases being reported more frequently across Tigray region. 
  • Ethiopian authorities should immediately stop repression of civic space and independent media, urged International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH).
  • “In recent months, Ethiopian security and intelligence forces increased the intimidation, harassment, and threats against prominent Ethiopian human rights organisations”, added FIDH.

Situation in Eritrea (per 20 June)

  • The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) held an interactive dialogue on the situation in Eritrea today following the delivery of the report by the UN Special Rapporteur, Dr. Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker.
  • Babiker highlighted that the human rights situation in Eritrea remains dire due to the ongoing use of arbitrary detention, indefinite military and national service, systemic repression of rights and freedoms, as well as exercising transnational repression.
  • The representative of Eritrea to the HRC refuted the contents of the report, adding that the Eritrean Martyr’s day that is celebrated annually on 20 June has been “overshadowed by such technical arguments” coming from the intrusive nature of the mandate of the special rapporteur.

Regional Situation (per 20 June)

  • Undocumented Ethiopians were ordered to leave Garowe, Somalia, after the regional administration of Puntland focused new directives on defence and security trying to curb illegal migration. 
  • Many more people are expected to flee Sudan to neighbouring countries unless peace negotiations resume, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi during his visit to Sudan during which he visited refugee camps in Kosti, White Nile State.

Refugee and Migration Situation (per 20 June)

  • Multiple initiatives, events and exhibitions have been organised across the globe in support of solidarity with refugees on the occasion of the World Refugee Day, celebrated annually on 20 June.
  • The Egyptian authorities must immediately stop the widespread arbitrary arrests and illegal deportations of Sudanese refugees, said Amnesty International in its new report.
  • An estimated 800 Sudanese refugees have been forcibly returned to Sudan between January and March 2024 without following proper procedures, according to the report.
  • Amnesty further urged the EU “to not be complicit in violations of the rights of refugees and migrants in Egypt”, making sure that the migration cooperation agreements will follow proper risk assessment.
  • Migration was one of the key topics of discussion for the G7 leaders during the Summit in Italy between 13-15 June. Leaders aim to focus on the root causes of migration, increase investment in the countries of origin, support border management, and build safe and regular pathways for migration.
  • More than 40,000 refugees fled from Sudan to Libya since the start of the conflict in Sudan, according to the UN. The World Food Programme sounded an alarm over looming humanitarian disaster if special support is not mobilised.
  • 113 refugees, originating from South Sudan, Eritrea, Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, and Somalia, were evacuated from Libya to Rwanda. The evacuation mechanism established by the UN refugee agency in 2019 aims to transport refugees from Libya detention centres to Rwanda.
  • Refugee status granted by one EU country does not automatically apply in other EU countries, ruled the European Court of Justice, giving the autonomy of each EU country to assess asylum claims independently on a case-by-case basis.

Links of interest
RSF shell MSF-backed hospital in Omdurman, killing three, injuring 27

‘Al Fula has fallen’: RSF seize West Kordofan capital

Civil war in Sudan takes centre stage at UN

RSF suffer losses attacking Khartoum enclave

North Kordofan sees fragile calm amidst network restoration

News Analysis: Auditor General exposes rampant financial mismanagement, massive overdue receivables

Ethiopia: Mekelle immigration office reopens after three-year closure

በትግራይ ክልል ለ13 ወረዳዎች የተበላሸ የምግብ እህል መሠራጨቱ ተረጋገጠ

News: Four dead, eight hospitalized after eating anthrax-infected beef in Tigray’s Hintalo district

Ethiopia: Halt crackdown against human rights groups

5th Meeting – 56th Regular Session of Human Rights Council

Undocumented Ethiopian migrants ordered out of Somalia’s Puntland

Egypt: “Handcuffed like dangerous criminals”: Arbitrary detention and forced returns of Sudanese refugees in Egypt

Sudan conflict forces more than 40,000 people into Libya

Rwanda receives over 100 refugees from Libya

European court rules Germany not obligated to recognize refugee status granted by other EU countries

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