Situation Report: RSF and SAF fighting over control of Babanusa in West Kordofan, Kidnapping for ransom in Oromia, IDPs protest in Mekelle

Three days of severe fighting has been reported from Babanusa in West Kordofan, where Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a military offence against Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in order to capture their headquarters; An increasing number of people are kidnapped for ransom in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Victims are tortured until family members pay the ransoms; Internally displaced persons in Tigray held a peaceful protest in Mekelle yesterday calling for withdrawal of foreign forces from Tigray so as to be able to safely return to their home; and more.

News Highlights: Somalia rejects mediation amidst tensions with Ethiopia, Phantom boats at sea, Starvation in Tigray

In this week’s News Highlights: Somalia rejects mediation over dispute Ethiopia-Somaliland MoU; IGAD Summit discusses Sudan and Ethiopia/Somalia tensions; Arab League and PSC discuss Ethiopia-Somalia tensions; Sudanese VP Malik Agar visits Eritrea;  Russian military base at Dahlak Islands in Eritrea; Clashes at Melbourne Eritrean festival; Displacement in Sudan reaches 7.7 million; Ethnic targeting of people suspected of spying in Sudan; World Heritage under threat in Sudan; Explosions and remote violence increase in Sudan; Starvation sets in in Tigray as Federal government denies looming famine; Fano warns citizens not to attend Timket celebrations in Amhara; Protests erupt in Tunisia as 37 people still missing at sea; Court hearing about reception centres begins in Albania; Boats disappear and wrecks go unreported in the Mediterranean; European Parliament votes to withhold funds from Hungary; Law passed to overcome UK Supreme Court block of Rwanda deal;  Five people dead after failed crossing of Channel; German Parliament votes to make deportations easier; Protest against French immigration law; and Crossings at highest level since 2016, says Frontex.

News Highlights: Ethiopia signs MoU with Somaliland, Impunity fuelling abuses in the Horn, EU increasingly relying on external solutions

In this week’s News Highlights: Ethiopia signs MoU with Somaliland causing tensions across the Horn and beyond; Al-Burhan rejects ceasefire proposal from Taqadum civilian coalition; Sudan’s Resistance committee members targeted; Humanitarian conditions worsen amidst conflict and cholera outbreak in Sudan; Urgent assistance required for drought-affected areas in Ethiopia; UN helicopter stuck in Al-Shabaab territory in Somalia; Testimonies from Eritrea’s prisons; Pro-democracy Eritreans warn about upcoming festival in Australia; Warrap State in South Sudan approves shoot-to-kill law; Impunity fuelling abuses in the Horn, states HRW; Rights of migrants and refugees being harmed in Tunisia; More legal migration necessary, says European Commission; EU increasingly turning to external solutions to migration; At least three people dead following shipwreck off Greece; Tusk states Poland will not accept relocation of asylum seekers; and Number of deaths on routes to Spain almost tripled, states NGO.