Situation in Sudan (per 16 November)

  • The supplies for life saving surgeries are quickly running out in Khartoum due to a ban on transporting surgical supplies in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns. The ban contravenes international laws of war.
  • The ban was implemented to prevent wounded RSF fighters from getting treatment, but also impacts civilians. MSF fears hundreds in Khartoum will be impacted over the next weeks.
  • The cholera-outbreak in Sudan continues to worsen as 89 people have died and nearly 3,000 suspected cases of cholera have been reported across seven states, UN OCHA reports.
  • Civil society organisations warn about future atrocities in Sudan and call on international stakeholders to adopt a Sudan-wide arms embargo and targeted sanctions.

Situation in Ethiopia (per 16 November)

  • Reports of the talks between Ethiopian authorities and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in Tanzania are carefully optimistic that the talks may yield results. Agreements have been reached on a number of issues, and now progress is being sought on the key issues. No further details were given.
  • USAID announced that it will restart food aid to Ethiopia in December. They have reached an agreement with the Ethiopian government that the warehouses will be controlled by NGOs and the registration of beneficiaries will be conducted by NGOs, with observers from the government.
  • The government will also give USAID and third-party monitors unimpeded access to inspect sites.
  • Fighting in Amhara is now mainly happening in South Showa and around Gondar, and the border with Benishangul-Gumuz, where the most intensive fighting is. There are still some skirmishes around Lalibela, including usage of heavy weapons.
  • The strategy of assassination of regional Prosperity Party (PP) officials by Fano is increasing. One high-ranking PP functionary was assassinated in Addis Ababa. Ethiopian media state that the capital city is no longer safe for high ranking PP officials.
  • Assassinations, also in other regions, create a lot of unrest in the PP. Some officials have stopped going to work.
  • Ethiopia has reached an agreement in principle on an interim debt-service suspension. The agreement was made with its bilateral creditors.
  • IMS and World Bank advised Ethiopia to apply for the temporary debt suspension.
  • The ministry of finance also stated it will start talks to restructure its $1 billion Eurobond, which will mature next year.
  • Equipment leasing company Ethio Lease, foreign-owned firm which was granted a financial services licence from the  National Bank of Ethiopia, has announced it will withdraw from the country.

Situation in Eritrea (per 16 November)

  • The Eritrean government is arresting LGBTQ+ persons in Eritrea, sources state. The exact number of arrests is unknown.

Regional Situation (per 16 November)

  • Sudanese Sovereign Council Chairman General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan met with Ethiopian Prime Minister  Abiy Ahmed and African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki in Ethiopia yesterday.
  • Al-Burhan briefed the leaders on the situation and emphasised the Sudanese willingness to cooperate with all initiatives to find solutions to the crisis, a Sovereign Council statement stated.
  • Kenyan President William Ruto met with al-Burhan on Monday. They have agreed to work towards a framework for an all-inclusive dialogue in Sudan, which includes a summit of IGAD leaders to address the situation.
  • The opposition umbrella in Puntland, Somalia, has issued a unilateral election timeline for parliamentary and presidential elections, with elections set on 8 January 2024, after rejecting proposed delays.
  • South Sudanese President Salva Kiir removed the Inspector-General of Police Gen. Majak Akec Balok on Tuesday, after rumours of a coup attempt. Sources claim that 27 officers from the Tiger Battalion, and the National Security Service (NSS) were arrested in relation to this.

International Situation (per 16 November)

  • The African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) met yesterday to discuss the situation in Sudan.
  • Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki held many bilateral meetings during the Saudi-Africa Summit, observers note, while Ethiopian President Abiy Ahmed is reported to have left early.
  • Abiy is said to have fallen out of favour due to Ethiopia’s abstention from voting at the UN General Assembly vote for a humanitarian truce in the Israel-Gaza war.
  • Eritrean President Isaias stated in an interview that the African Union (AU),  Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) were “stillborn”.
  • He stated that the institutions were responsible for migration across the Mediterranean Sea, leading them to ‘exploitation’ by the West.
  • Isaias held up Saudi-African partnership as the lifeline for people in the region. He also stated that securing and stabilising the Red Sea is a key component of the cooperation.
  • The UN Security Council will hold an open briefing followed by closed consultations on the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).
  • The mandate of UNITAMS is expiring on 3 December. The UK is the penholder on the draft resolution to renew the UNITAMS mandate.
  • The UN Security Council renewed the mandate of the peacekeeping mission in the Abyei region for a year. The Abyei region is a disputed and oil-rich region at the border of Sudan and South Sudan.
  • European banks and investors, including large players such as Deutsche Bank, are investing around €700 million in the two international companies with the biggest state in South Sudan’s oil sector. These companies help to fuel violence against civilians in South Sudan, states Global Witness.

Links of interest

Surgical supply ban in Khartoum must be immediately reversed

Today’s top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Myanmar, Nepal

Civil Society Sounds Alarm: Take Immediate Action on Sudan or Be Complicit in Future Atrocities

USAID Resumes Food Assistance for People Across Ethiopia Following Implementation of Comprehensive Reforms

Ethiopia agrees bilateral debt-service suspension, seeks Eurobond restructuring

Ethio Lease set to wind down operations in Ethiopia

Sudan’s al-Burhan holds talks with Ethiopian PM and African Union chief

William Ruto in Twitter

Ministerial session on the situation in Sudan

Puntland’s Opposition Umbrella releases a unilateral Election Timetable

South Sudan president sacks police chief amidst coup rumours

Eritrean President to Asharq Al-Awsat: Partnership with Saudi Arabia will Uplift Region from Underdevelopment Swamp

Sudan: Briefing and Consultations

UN Security Council renews Abyei mission mandate

Fuel to the fire: EU banks and investors tied to violence in South Sudan

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