Situation in Sudan (per 30 November)

  • Minni Minawi, leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), warned that SLM’s position of neutrality in the conflict is not absolute and it can be abandoned in order to protect the civilian population.
  • Minawi said, that “[t]here is no absolute neutrality, but it is conditional on the warring parties’ commitment to the war between them”.
  • Minawi added that it is unacceptable that civilians are being targeted with most of the attacks being carried out by Rapid Support Forces (RSF). He added that it does not mean that SLM automatically sides with either of the warring parties.
  • 7,600 children are fleeing their home every day due to the conflict in Sudan, reports Save the Children.
  • With 3 million children having fled since the start of Sudanese conflict in April, one-eight of the child population has now been displaced creating the largest child displacement crisis in the world.
  • Over 3,100 violations against children and their rights have been reported by UNICEF with the majority cases being reported from the Darfur region.
  • War in Sudan is causing alarming health consequences, with 3,000 cholera cases recorded since September, at least 201,500 children with severe acute malnutrition, and 24 million people facing hunger, states the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
  • “The surge is attributed to lack of access to adequate food supplies for both IDPs and the host population, compounded by the general health crisis resulting from the ongoing conflict”, said Mohammed Mahdi, Deputy Director of Programs in IRC Sudan.
  • Casualties in the context of cholera are on the rise in the Red Sea and El Gedaref states, states Radio Dabanga. At least 5 confirmed deaths were recorded in Port Sudan and 44 in El Gedaref.
  • Gender-based violence (GBV) is causing long-lasting impacts on the physical and mental health of victims, reports  the GBV Sub-Sector in Sudan.
  • Some of the concerning GBV trends identified include increased assistance requests from unmarried pregnant women seeking services at health facilities, increased cases of child and forced marriage, increased suicidal rates among the victims of GBV, as well as increased vulnerability of elderly women.

Situation in Ethiopia (per 30 November)

  • 85 districts across 23 zones in Ethiopia’s Somali, South East, Gambela, Oromia, Afar and Sidama regions have been affected by severe flooding that occurred in recent weeks. It is estimated that about  1.5 million people suffer from the aftermath of floods.
  • Floods have caused vast damages, loss of life, crops, livestock and infrastructure, as well as large-scale displacement.
  • Ambassador Shiferaw Teklemariam, Commissioner of the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission, and Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia, appealed for humanitarian funding and assistance to address the crisis.
  • The governor of the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), Mamo Mihretu, claimed in front of the Ethiopian Parliament that the NBE’s strategic plan to curb soaring inflation is bearing positive results.
  • New monetary measures reportedly brought the inflation rate down from 35% in March to 27.7% in September.

Situation in Tigray (per 30 November)

  • Doctors, including general practitioners, surgeons and specialists, are reportedly leaving Tigray in pursuit of their career abroad amid lasting poor economic conditions after the two-year Tigray war.
  • In addition to financial reasons, much of the healthcare infrastructure in the region has not resumed operations due to the lack of supplies and medical equipment.
  • A humanitarian crisis continues to plague the civilian population in Tigray, states Sarah Miller, Senior fellow of the Refugees International.
  • During her recent trip to Tigray, Miller observed extreme levels of collective trauma as well as lack of support of mental and physical health of women that were exposed to sexual violence during the war.
  • “Women will play a key role in the rebuilding of Tigray. They need urgent support to survive, and ultimately thrive in their recovery”, stated Miller.
  • The Tigray war caused detrimental damage to the veterinary sector and livestock.
  • Veterinarian and animal health workers were forced to flee during the war and their facilities were destroyed or looted which poses a burden on the sector.
  • Millions of animals, including cattle, poultry, sheep, goats and donkeys, were killed, stolen or disappeared during the war causing the loss of 53.56 billion Ethiopian birr ( approx.1 billion USD).
  • Severe drought in Abergelle Yechila district, Central Tigray Zone, and Atsbi district, Eastern Zone, claimed the lives of at least 190 people in Tigray. These numbers are likely to rise, warned Gebrehiwot Gebregzabher, the Commissioner of the Disaster Risk Management Commission in Tigray.

Regional Situation (per 30 November)

  • Egyptian authorities require visas for Sudanese drivers to cross the border with exception for the drivers older than 50 years.
  • Essam El Khair, head of the transport chambers in the Wadi Halfa locality, called on Egyptian authorities to ease these restrictions as they affect the cross-border commercial trade and pose further strains on the Sudanese economy.

International Situation (per 30 November)

  • UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, leader of Rapid Support Forces, are responsible for neglecting the needs of the civilian population in Sudan.
  • In a pursuit of power in the country civilians suffered and have been exposed to fighting and massacres.
  • At the press briefing of the 7th African Union-United Nations Annual Conference in New York on 28 November, Guterres said “This is the fault of those that sacrificed the interests of their people for a pure struggle for power, and they’re the ones that support them”.

Links of interest

SLM’s Minawi clarifies position on neutrality in Sudan’s conflict

Sudan: About 7,600 Children Fleeing Homes Daily In World’s Largest Child Displacement Crisis

Continued violence in Sudan is having catastrophic health consequences on displaced people, warns IRC.

The Current Context and Concerning GBV Trends: Trends Analysis and Situational Update, as of 29 November 2023

Death toll rises in Sudan cholera and dengue outbreak

Ethiopia’s Tigray region

Joint Statement on unprecedented floods

Refugees International Alarmed by Humanitarian Crisis in Tigray, Effects of Conflict-related Sexual Violence

Ethiopia Tigray grapples with growing exodus of doctors

The impact of armed conflict on animal well-being and welfare, and analyzing damage assessment on the veterinary sector: The case of

News: Drought wrecks havoc in Tigray’s Abergelle Yechila and Atsbi districts, claims 190 lives

Central bank governor foresees promising results in tackling inflation, despite reservations from legislators

Egypt asked to ease visa procedures for Sudan transport drivers and medical patients

Joint Press Conference by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat

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