News Highlights: Eritrea takes over Christian and Muslim secondary schools, Sudan forms Cabinet, Controversial Greek emergency plan announced

In this week’s news highlights: Eritrea shuts down schools run by religious institutions; Criticism on Eritrea peace deal excluding the people; Dutch vessel docked in Eritrean port Assab involved in Yemen war; Sudan forms new Cabinet; Podcasts to fight domestic violence in refugee camps; Rescue ships make port in Italy in spite of the ban; Greek government announces controversial emergency plan for migrants and refugees; Eritrean government celebrates 25 years of national service training in Norway; Trauma of refugees in Europe illustrated; Former Prime Minister of Australia praises anti-migration policies in Hungary; Rwanda offers space for 500 evacuees from Libyan detention centres; and UN Tweet about refugees exposes private details of a minor.

News Highlights: Sudan forms transitional sovereign council, sweeping violations in Greece, Churches criticize excommunication of Patriarch Antonios

This week’s news highlights will cover news over the month of August: Sudan forms transitional sovereign council; UNHCR completes investigation on bribes for resettlement; Orthodox Churches criticize excommunication of Patriarch Antonios of Eritrea; New report on national service and education in Eritrea; Ethiopians face violence and trafficking in Saudi Arabia and Yemen; Ethiopia-Eritrea road to open; 40 people feared dead after boat capsizes off Libyan coast; Europe fears increase of people fleeing Libya; Tunisia sends back migrants; NGO report denounces human rights violations in Greece; 900.000 asylum seekers in limbo in EU; and increasingly risky crossings to the UK.

Rising tension in Horn of Africa region

In the initial weeks of 2018, the Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir announced the closure of the border with Eritrea which was was followed by the deployment of militia forces to the bordering regions. The reason for the border closing has not officially been made clear and Sudan has denied tension between the two countries. This manoeuvre comes just after the declaration of a six-month state of emergency in the Sudanese regions of Kassala and North Kordofan. The official motivation given for the state of emergency  was the Sudanese campaign against the trafficking of human beings, weapons, and drugs and in those border regions.