Ethiopian Prime Minister Visits Sudan’s Army Chief
Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed met with Sudan’s General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in a trip his office said was part of efforts to find “sustainable solutions for Sudan’s stability;” he is the first foreign leader to visit Sudan’s army general in the war capital of Port Sudan since the start of the now fifteen-month war (Reuters)
In December, Abiy hosted the leader of the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces, who are fighting the army in Sudan’s civil war (Al Jazeera)
Sudan Militia Begins Offensive in Southern Agricultural State, Opening New Front in War
Fighters from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have attacked and looted towns in their push into the state of Sennar, prompting at least sixty-two thousand people to flee in recent days, the UN International Organization for Migration said; the fighting in an important food-producing state is expected to worsen Sudan’s already dire hunger crisis (WSJ)
Sudan Faces Highest Level of Acute Food Insecurity Ever Recorded
The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification calculated that 755,000 people in Sudan face “catastrophic conditions” of hunger after fourteen months of civil war; a Hague-based think tank estimated that around 2.5 million could die from starvation by September (ReliefWeb,Africanews)
EU Adopts Sanctions Against Six Involved in Civil War
The European Union adopted sanctions against six people involved in the conflict, including generals and advisors from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese military; these individuals will be subject to asset freezes and a travel ban across the twenty-seven-nation bloc (Reuters)
UN Agency Reports Sudan Is World’s Largest Global Displacement Crisis
With an estimated 5.8 million people displaced, a new report from the UN Refugee Agency recognized Sudan as the largest global displacement crisis in the world and urged the United States and other nations to offer more significant aid and attention to the conflict (Politico)
United States Announces $315 Million in Aid for Sudan
The United States announced that it would provide $315 million in new aid and humanitarian assistance to Sudan, where nearly twenty-five million need aid and five million are on the brink of famine (Voice of America)
UN Security Council Resolution Calls for End of Siege on Sudan’s al-Fashir
The Council called for the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to halt their offensive on al-Fashir, the last major city in the Darfur region held by Sudan’s army; fourteen countries supported the resolution, while Russia abstained (UN)
The United Kingdom tabled the resolution for a local cease-fire “to create the wider conditions to support de-escalation across the country;” UK Ambassador to the United Nations Barbara Woodward told the UN Security Council that an estimated 1.5 million people are still sheltering in al-Fashir (UK)
As the civil war grinds on in its second year, UN agencies issued a preliminary projection that 756,000 people in Sudan could face catastrophic food shortages by September, while nearly 18 million are battling food insecurity (Reuters)
More than 130,000 people fled al-Fashir between April and May as the RSF assault on the city moved forward, the United Nations said (Reuters)
UN experts warn that the region is approaching genocide; the RSF denies involvement in what it calls Darfur’s “tribal conflict” (BBC)
ICC Prosecutor Calls for Evidence on Alleged International Crimes in Sudan
The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor issued a public appeal yesterday for information and evidence as the court investigates allegations of attacks against civilians, sexual violence, and ethnically motivated attacks in Sudan’s civil war; his appeal came a day after the UN International Organization for Migration said the number of displaced people inside the country has surpassed ten million (Al-Monitor)
Number of Internally Displaced People Surpasses Ten Million
The UN migration agency reported that the number of internally displaced people in Sudan has officially surpassed ten million (PBS)
MSF: Main Hospital in Darfur City of Al-Fashir Out of Service Amid Fighting
Paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces opened fire inside the hospital and put it out of service, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said; the city of Al-Fashir has become the latest front in Sudan’s civil war (Reuters)
The UN migration agency predicts that Sudan could soon pass ten million internally displaced people in what is already the world’s largest displacement crisis (Reuters)
RSF Carries Out Attacks in Gezira State
A pro-democracy activist group said on social media that the RSF used heavy artillery against civilians and killed more than one hundred people as part of efforts to advance in central Sudan, while the RSF said it attacked military and allied bases in the village and did not identify any civilian casualties (Reuters)
Senior Sudan Officials Visit Russia, Mali, and Niger
Sudan’s deputy leader and ministers of foreign affairs, finance, and mining traveled to Russia on a multiday trip, while its defense minister and deputy military commander are visiting Niger and Mali, the military-backed government said this week; Russia’s private military company Wagner Group has been supporting the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebels in their war against the government (Bloomberg)
Just days before the trips, Sudan’s government said it was considering a deal in which the Kremlin would establish a military fueling station on the Red Sea in exchange for weapons; an official Russian deal with the Sudanese army could end Wagner’s involvement with the RSF (Bloomberg)
Sudan’s Army Rebuffs U.S. Call to Attend Peace Talks
The army will not return to peace talks with the rival Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group in Saudi Arabia, the second-highest-ranking official on Sudan’s transitional sovereign council said; his remarks follow a call on Tuesday in which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Sudan’s army chief to attend the talks (Reuters)
Washington Announces Sanctions on Two Rapid Support Forces Commanders
A U.S. State Department spokesperson warned the group against offensive actions in the Darfur city of El Fasher, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are sheltering (AFP)
Dozens Killed in Weekend Fighting in Sudanese City Where 2.5 Million Civilians Are Trapped
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary has encircled the city of El Fasher and fighting over the weekend killed dozens of people, an emergency responder told The Washington Post; it was unclear if the fighting was the beginning of a full assault on the city or a prelude (WaPo)
The RSF’s seizure of a main road into the city has severely hampered the flow of food entering the area (Guardian)
Washington Calls on Countries to Stop Supplying Arms to Sudan’s Warring Parties
The last city in Sudan’s Darfur region that is not controlled by the paramilitary is now “on the precipice of a large-scale massacre,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told press after an emergency closed-door UN Security Council meeting; Thomas-Greenfield said Washington has engaged with countries including the UAE over arms sales (AP)
The UAE has repeatedly denied providing arms to Sudan (Al Jazeera)
Truce Collapses in Western Sudanese City of Al-Fashir
Al-Fashir had been the last major city in Sudan’s Darfur region that was not under control of the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the country’s civil war (AFP)
Local leaders had negotiated a truce that protected the city from fighting, but the agreement unraveled as the RSF overtook nearby towns earlier this month, effectively blockading Al-Fashir; some 1.6 million people are residing there, and the collapse of the truce prompted warnings about humanitarian risks (Reuters)
Meanwhile, the Sudanese military shot down multiple drones targeting its headquarters in the city of Shendi (Reuters)
BNP Paribas Faces Suit Over Alleged Role in Supporting Sudanese Genocide
A U.S. judge ruled yesterday that the Paris-based bank must face a class-action lawsuit brought by U.S. residents who had fled central Sudan; in 2014, the bank pleaded guilty to U.S. Justice Department charges that it violated sanctions by transferring billions of dollars for Sudanese entities (Reuters)
Washington has officially recognized Sudan’s actions in the late 1990s and 2000s as genocide (Senate)
Sudan’s Allies Pledge More Than $2.1 Billion in Humanitarian Assistance
During the Paris conference, fifty-eight countries, the United Nations, and aid organizations denounced attacks against civilians and emphasized the need for global efforts for peace negotiations (AP)
France Hosts Humanitarian Aid Conference to Mark One Year of War in Sudan
Donors, including the United States, France, and Germany, were expected to pledge more than $1 billion dollars for Sudan at today’s aid conference; the United Nations has called for $2.7 billion in aid to Sudan and $1.4 billion in aid to neighboring countries that are hosting refugees (Reuters)
At least twenty-five million people, or half of Sudan’s population, are in need of aid (UN)
United Nations Food Aid Arrives in Sudan
The food delivery to Sudan’s western region of Darfur will last a month and reach close to 250,000 people but it is not enough to resolve increasing malnutrition and hunger issues (AP)
Sudan Government Bans Saudi State-Owned Broadcasters
Sudan’s state news agency reported Al Arabiya, Al Hadath, and the United Arab Emirates’ Sky News Arabia were banned; a national journalists’ organization condemned the move as a violation of freedom of the press (Reuters)
Washington Considering Cross-Border UN Mechanism to Move Aid via Chad
UNSecurity Council calls for a cease-fire in Sudan have gone ignored as the war approaches the one-year mark; at least half of the population needs aid (Reuters)
UN: Over Five Million Sudanese Expected to Suffer From Catastrophic Hunger
The UN Security Council predicts several million Sudanese people will face “catastrophic hunger” in parts of the country in the next few months; food insecurity in the region is expected to degrade into famine conditions soon (Reuters)
Army Will Continue Military Advance in Greater Khartoum Area
Army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said that the army will also continue its military advance in the Darfur and El Gezira regions “until complete victory is achieved;” international envoys have tried unsuccessfully to broker a truce in the war, which is approaching its one-year mark next month (Reuters)