Situation in Sudan (per 10 July)

  • Deadly airstrikes killed 22 people and injured many others in Dar es Salaam residential district of Omdurman on Saturday. Victims included women and children.
  • UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned attacks on civilians and large-scale violence across the country. He further expressed concerns over fighting in North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile States.
  • Sudan is on the verge of “a full-scale civil war” leading to destabilisation of the whole region, said Guterres.
  • Teenage children, aged 12-17, are being sexually assaulted and raped by combatants, confirmed Save the Children.
  • Official numbers report on 88 cases of rape, which according to the Sudanese Unit for Combatting Violence against Women represents only 2% of the total numbers. Based on this estimation, it is expected that 4,400 cases of sexual violence have been committed since the beginning of the conflict.
  • Arab tribes in Darfur announced their support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
  • Tribal alignment and civilian participation in war may lead to a spill of the conflict to neighbouring Chad as the tribal relations have a cross-border character, observers say.
  • Meeting of IGAD countries, including Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti,  was held in Addis Ababa. Meeting aimed to define a way forward in addressing the Sudanese conflict. Meeting was observed by EU, UN, US, UAE, Egypt and UK delegations.
  • The IGAD meeting requested to hold a Summit of the East Africa Standby Force (EASF) for potential deployment of forces to ensure civilian protection and access of humanitarian aid.
  • The Sudanese delegation arrived in Addis Ababa but did not attend discussions due to Kenya’s chairmanship during the summit. Sudanese officials previously contested the impartiality of Kenya, questioning neutrality of its president William Ruto, and requested a change of leadership.
  • Egypt will host a summit of Sudan’s neighbouring countries in order to increase diplomatic efforts and develop suitable mechanisms to end the conflict in Sudan. The Summit is scheduled for 13 July in Cairo.
  • Airspace closure has been extended until 31 July, confirmed Sudanese Aviation Authority. An exception was granted to humanitarian flights.

Situation in Tigray (per 10 July)

  • Burial places and grounds with bodies of Tigrayan victims killed during the war are being burned or dug up, reported the Economist.
  • Eye witnesses as well as collected imagery evidence proved that several known body-disposal sites were disturbed or destroyed in order to hide bodies and cover up the evidence of atrocities committed during the war in Tigray.
  • Several gaps are threatening a fragile peace after the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) was signed in November 2022, showed a new report by Atrocities Watch Africa. Gaps are relating to the limited scope of the CoHA as well as limits in the implementation process.
  • Key gaps identified include presence of Eritrean troops in Tigray; Western and Southern Tigray remain out of reach for independent monitoring and do not fall under the scope of CoHA; lack of durable solutions for IDPs; need for including parties from Amhara and Afar for peace implementation.
  • Nearly 50% of households in Tigray are experiencing hunger and 88% of households are affected by food insecurity, according to research by the Tigray Health Research Institute. Situation particularly affects pregnant and lactating mothers and children under the age of 5.

Situation in Ethiopia (per 10 July)

  • Special forces from all regions across Ethiopia will be integrated into the national army, or the federal or regional police, said PM Abiy Ahmed to the parliament last week.
  • Abiy said that the creation of a centralised army is based on the parliament’s and the public interests.
  • The Amhara regional government aims to hold a referendum to resolve the disputes over the border regions of Western and Southern parts of Tigray which are claimed by the Amhara region, said Gizachew Muluneh, head of communications bureau.
  • Amhara forces have been occupying the disputed regions even after signing the CoH agreement.
  • Radical surge in malnutrition, particularly among refugee and IDP populations, is observed across various regions in Ethiopia, warned Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
  • 72.5% of 8000 pregnant women and new mothers examined in Shire and Sheraro were acutely malnourished. MSF calls for immediate resumption of food aid distribution.
  • Next round of filling of the  Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is reportedly postponed to September. The decision came after the downstream nations, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt, expressed their concerns over the potential impact on agricultural activities.

Regional Situation (per 10 July)

  • Deputy Head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, Malik Agar, met with Eritrean president, Isaias Afwerki, discussing the current situation in Sudan, and bilateral issues of the two countries.
  • South Sudan needs to reconstruct a viable political and security environment in order to be able to carry out elections, said Nicholas Haysom, Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir confirmed last week that the elections are scheduled for December 2024.
  • South Sudan governors of Lakes, Warrap and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states have warned that the conflict in Sudan is threatening the regional stability.

International Situation (per 10 July)

  • The conflict in Sudan causes a grave impact on food security within the Arab League region which requires action from the Arab States, warned Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League.

Links of interest

Sudan conflict: Air strike kills at least 22 in Khartoum

UN chief condemns air strike that killed at least 22 people in Sudan

Sudan: Children As Young As 12 Raped And Assaulted, As Sexual Violence Rips Through The Country

Communiqué of the 1st Meeting of the IGAD Quartet Group of Countries for the Resolution of the Situation in the Republic of Sudan

Egypt to Host Summit of Sudan’s Neighbors as Fighting Continues

War crimes in Tigray may be covered up or forgotten

Ethiopia Watch: Civil Society Monitor of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement

Tigrai Television

Ethiopian PM vows to dismantle all paramilitary forces in country

Amhara region says activities kicked off to resolve identity, boundary issues with Tigray region through referendum

MSF pleads for immediate resumption of food distributions after recording alarming rise of acute malnutrition in Ethiopia

Ethiopia delays filling of flagship dam, vows to heed downstream nations’ concerns

Sudan war could undermine regional stability, governors warn

Twitter: Malik Agar Eyre

South Sudan “not yet ready” for credible elections, says UN envoy

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