Situation in Sudan (per 30 October)

  • The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have taken control of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur.
  • Witnesses in Nyala report that hospitals have been destroyed and there are many bodies on the streets.
  • RSF control the city of Zalengei, Central Darfur, except for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) headquarters. RSF is attempting to bomb the headquarters.
  • Shells have been hitting civilian neighbourhoods and the Hasa Hisa displacement camp.
  • Militias allied with the RSF have looted the hospital and markets.
  • The preparatory meeting of civilian, political and other forces taking place in Addis Ababa last week led to the decision to form a leadership body under former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
  • The meeting formed the “Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces” (CCDF) consisting of 60 representatives of political and civil forces, plus a 30 member executive office.
  • The CCDF will hold a founding conference in eight weeks.

Situation in Ethiopia (per 30 October)

  • An unknown number of Chinese workers have been taken by the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), local residents told the Addis Standard.
  • The OLA and government security forces were fighting over control of the zonal capital, Fiche town. OLA seized the cement factory, East Cement Factory, where the Chinese workers were employed.
  • Upon retreat, the OLA took the Chinese workers with them, the reports state.

Situation in Tigray (per 30 October)

  • The Tigray Interim Administration (TIA) has removed six top zonal officials, whom they accused of wasting public resources. The officials reportedly attended a meeting on 25 October in Mekelle, convened by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Addis Standard reports.
  • The TIA criticised a report by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) about internally displaced persons in which it stated that people displaced by conflict in northern Ethiopia had returned home, stating that no effort had been made to resettle IDPs in Tigray.
  • The EHRC responded by saying that Tigray was not part of their report.
  • UN OCHA recently stated that over 1 million people remain displaced in Tigray.

Situation in Eritrea (per 30 October)

  • The recording of the European Parliament Roundtable on Eritrea of 25 October 2023, hosted by MEP Katrin Langensiepen, has been published.

Regional Situation (per 30 October)

  • Kenya will open an embassy in Eritrea, stated Kenyan President William Ruto.
  • Ruto also stated he will remove visa requirements for all Africans coming to Kenya by the end of this year.
  • Violence and threats against humanitarian workers hampers the delivery of aid in South Sudan, OCHA South Sudan states. This includes physical threats, intimidation, harassment and looting/theft.
  • One off-duty humanitarian staff member was killed in Mayom County, Unity State.
  • 4.3 million people in Somalia are projected to be facing crisis-level or worse food insecurity between October and December 2023, of whom a million are facing emergency-level hunger, the World Food Programme warns.
  • 1.2 million people in Somalia  living in flood-prone areas are in danger of floods caused by El Niño; half of the settlements for internally displaced persons are in flood-prone areas.

International Situation (per 30 October)

  • The EU remains highly concerned about the human rights situation in Eritrea, and particularly called on Eritrea to “end the practice of indefinite National Service and of forced recruitment of children”, according to the EU statement at the UN General Assembly’s dialogue on human rights in Eritrea.
  • The EU also called for Eritrea’s complete withdrawal from Ethiopian territory.
  • The EU, in a separate statement, expressed serious concern over the conflict, human rights violations and civilian casualties in Amhara, Ethiopia, stated High Representative Josep Borrell.
  • The EU is ready to support a process leading to dialogue, reconciliation and peace between the parties fighting in Amhara.
  • The UN Security Council will vote tomorrow on the extension of the mandate UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).
  • Disputed language includes the parts on the situation in Laascaanood, with some UNSC members in favour of more emphasis on the support to the Somali government’s efforts to handle the situation.
  • The UN calls on all key parties in the conflict in Laascaanood to make progress on exchanging prisoners between Somaliland and SSC-Khatumo, as well as achieving a peaceful resolution of the conflict, including tackling underlying drivers, UN SR Catriona Laing stated last week.
  • The decisions of Ethiopia’s eligibility for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) are still pending, confirmed a US official of the African Affairs of the State Department.
  • She noted that there will probably not be an announcement in relation to this at the upcoming AGOA Forum between 2-4 November.
  • The peace talks on Sudan in Jeddah, which relaunched last week, focus solely on the delivery of humanitarian aid, establishing ceasefires and building towards a cessation of hostilities, and will not address broader political issues in Sudan,  a US Spokesperson confirmed.
  • The situations in Sudan and Ethiopia are expected to be included in a briefing of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to the UN Security Council tomorrow, 31 October.

Links of interest

European Parliament Roundtable on Eritrea

How is Sudan’s conflict impacting Darfur?

Sudan conflict: RSF takes control of Nyala in Darfur
Sudanese civil forces agree to form leadership body headed by Hamdok

News: Unknown number of Chinese nationals abducted by gunmen in North Shoa Zone, Oromia region

News: Tigray interim leader removes top zonal officials for neglect of responsibilities, wastage of public resources

TIA accuses EHRC of misleading on Tigray IDPs

Kenya to remove visa requirement for Africans to boost trade, says president

WFP Somalia Country Brief, September 2023

South Sudan: Humanitarian Access Snapshot (September 2023)
Ethiopia: Statement by High Representative Josep Borrell on the situation in Amhara

EU Statement – UN General Assembly 3rd Committee: Interactive dialogue on Human Rights in Eritrea

Somalia: Vote on a Draft Resolution Renewing UNSOM’s Mandate

Transcript of the UN in Somalia’s hybrid press conference in Mogadishu – 25 October 2023

Digital Press Briefing with Constance Hamilton, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa and Joy Basu, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs of the State Department

The United States, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, together with the African Union, Relaunch Humanitarian and Ceasefire Talks Between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces

Briefing by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees

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