Situation in Sudan (per 17 May)

  • Airstrikes and fighting intensified on Tuesday across Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri.
  • Civilian representatives of the Forces of Freedom and Change-Central Council aim to become part of the peace negotiations between SAF and RSF. 
  • The Civilian coalition will elect the representatives who are proposed to join negotiations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 
  • $3.03 billion is needed to provide urgent response to both humanitarian needs across Sudan and refugee needs in neighbouring countries, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in a joint launch of two response plans. 
  • The Revised Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan aims to target 18 million people and has a financial requirement of $2.56 billion in 2023. The strategy is supported by 92 partner organisations working on distribution of food, water and sanitation as well as protection and prevention of gender-based violence. 
  • The Regional Refugee Response Plan will support refugees, returnees and host communities, in the context of the Sudan conflict, in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan through a multisector strategy and cooperation of 140 partners. 
  • Sudanese singer Shaden Gardood has been killed in armed clashes between SAF and RSF in Omdurman. She was trying to take shelter from the shelling in the Al-Hashmab neighbourhood.  

Refugee Situation (per 17 May)

  • Male refugees fleeing from Sudan to Egypt are reportedly required to have visas in order to be allowed to enter the country. 
  • Visa requirements for male refugees between ages 16 and 50 cause delays, long queues on the Sudan-Egypt borders and family separation due to denied entry.   
  • Ethiopia is scaling up the support and resources to support a wave of refugees arriving from Sudan who are arriving mostly through the Metema border crossing. 
  • 57 hectares of land in Amhara region has been dedicated for establishing a new refugee settlement.  

Situation in Tigray (per 17 May)

  • Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) denounced the rejection of the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE)  to be reinstated as a legal political party. 
  • TPLF states that the decision goes against legal standards and the Cessation of Hostilities (CoH) agreement and called on NEBE to reconsider their decision. 
  • The party aims to hold further discussions with the federal government to address the issue and to ensure all governmental bodies adhere to the implementation of the CoH Agreement. 
  • The Interim Regional Administration of Tigray also issued a separate statement, rejecting the decision of NEBE.

Situation in Ethiopia (per 17 May)

  • PM Abiy Ahmed re-confirmed that Ethiopia remains neutral towards Sudan’s warring parties and that it has strong willingness to contribute to peaceful resolution of the conflict. 
  • The statement followed the discussion between PM Abiy and Molly Phee The US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during a meeting in Addis Ababa. 
  • The recent offensive of the federal government in the Oromia region goes against the negotiation process, stated Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in a joint statement. The first round of peace talks took place in early May in Tanzania.
  • The joint OLA-OLF statement accused the Ethiopian government of perpetrating various crimes against civilians, pressuring farmers to be drafted into local militias and civil servants to finance military operations. 

Situation in Eritrea (per 17 May)

  • An earthquake of 4.7 magnitude has been detected in Eritrea about 57 km south-east of Asmara. 

International Situation (per 17 May)

  • The situation in Sudan will be discussed with priority at the summit of The Arab League scheduled for 19 May in Jeddah. 
  • Ambassador Hossam Zaki confirmed that a peaceful resolution in Sudan is important for preserving stability within the Arab system. 
  • Volker Perthes, SR and head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission Sudan, will meet with AU and IGAD to coordinate trilateral efforts on ending Sudan’s conflict.  They will meet in Addis Ababa on Friday.   
  • Six African heads of state will travel to Russia and Ukraine to meet with their counterparts and discuss ways for potential peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine. 
  • The delegation led by South African president Cyril Ramaphosa will include the countries of Zambia, Senegal, Congo, Uganda, Egypt and South Africa. 
  • Earlier this week, the US Ambassador to South Africa made public that the US alleges that South Africa supplied arms to Russia through the Russian vessel the Lady R.
  • The US Assistant Secretary of State Molly Phee held meetings with IGAD, AU, and Ethiopian Government representatives in Addis Ababa on the regional situation and conflict in Sudan. 
  • A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between upper houses of Ethiopian and Russian parliaments. 
  • The signatory parties discussed inter-parliamentary cooperation and strengthening bilateral ties. 

Links of interest

Airstrikes hit Khartoum as fighting between Sudanese factions intensifies

After the Jeddah declaration, civilian forces try to muscle in on negotiations between Sudanese army and RSF

Sudan: Summary of the Revised HRP and Regional Refugee Response Plan

Interview: Life in Sudan, While a Conflict Rages

Humanitarian Support Being Provided To Asylum Seekers Fleeing Conflict In Sudan: RRS

Tigray interim admin, TPLF say election board decision unacceptably legally, politically; 

ASDailyScoop: PM Abiy confirms “Ethiopia’s neutrality”, commitment to peaceful resolution of Sudan crisis

Statement regarding peace talks and the regime’s recent offensives

Earthquake M 4.7 – 26 km N of Adi Keyh, Eritrea

«السودان» و«فلسطين» على رأس ملفات قمة جدة

Trilateral mechanism is coordinating efforts to end Sudanese conflict: Perthes

Africa pushing Russia-Ukraine peace plan – Ramaphosa

Assistant Secretary Phee’s Visit to Addis Ababa

Upper Houses Of Ethiopian, Russian Parliaments Ink MoU

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