Europe External Programme with Africa is a Belgium-based Centre of Expertise with in-depth knowledge, publications, and networks, specialised in issues of peacebuilding, refugee protection, and resilience in the Horn of Africa. EEPA has published extensively on issues related to the movement and/or human trafficking of refugees in the Horn of Africa and on the Central Mediterranean Route. It cooperates with a wide network of universities, research organisations, civil society, and experts from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, and across Africa. The Situation Reports can be found here. To receive the situation report in your e-mail, click here. You can unsubscribe at any moment through the link at the bottom of each e-mail.
Situation in Sudan (per 31 August)
- The night-time curfew and state of emergency in Khartoum has been lifted after two years, allowing people to travel and work without overnight restrictions, while all other security measures remain in place, including patrols, checkpoints and identity checks.
- 2.1 million Sudanese returnees arrived in Khartoum state after being forcibly displaced due to war, says a report by the UNHCR.
- The recovery of the capital city, however, remains fragile and incomplete with residents facing unreliable electricity and water, unemployment, inflation, costly transport and worsening environmental problems, and severely disrupted education and health care systems.
- Many returnees also struggle to find safe, affordable housing, while being exposed to unexploded weapons, looting and night-time insecurity, leaving families vulnerable to renewed displacement.
- The US is seeking broader UN sanctions to stop foreign assistance from sustaining war and push the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) towards negotiations, said Masad Boulos, a senior advisor to the US President during the emergency session of the UN Security Council last week.
- The US proposed measures would extend the arms embargo nationwide and cover drones, while urging countries to halt financial, logistical and military support for the combatants.
- Sudan’s government opposed wider sanctions, while the SAF chief, Abdel-Fattah Burhan, insists the military campaign will continue despite international pressure.
- At least four civilians were reportedly killed in RSF attacks in North Kordofan on Saturday, according to a local emergency group. The group also alleged that residents were injured, abducted or missing, while homes and belongings were looted and communities intimidated.
- 27 people, including four children, have been killed in South Kordofan, with the Sudan Doctors Network accusing the RSF-aligned Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-N) group of being responsible. The alleged attacks on Otoro civilians wounded several more people and forced many residents to flee.
- Drone strikes on a busy Adekong market, near Chadian border, killed and injured 12 people. The Western Darfur Civil Administration accused SAF of the attacks, warning that continuous attacks could negatively impact the delivery of aid and cross-border commerce.
- Chadian officials also accused SAF of carrying out the attack, stating it hit a fuel market used by the RSF.
- Sudan’s foreign ministry has denied responsibility for airstrikes in Chad, arguing that blame should not be assigned before an independent investigation.
- The incident follows another alleged strike inside Chad and has prompted the deployment of additional armoured vehicles and electronic-jamming equipment near the border.
- About 200 RSF fighters, including senior field commanders, are reported to have defected and joined SAF in Omdurman with their weapons and equipment.
Situation in Ethiopia (per 31 August)
- A drone strike attributed to Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) destroyed the school building in Saharty Woreda, Tigray, last Thursday.
- EU and diplomatic missions of the EU Member States expressed serious concern about escalating political and security tensions in northern Ethiopia, urging federal and regional authorities to pursue dialogue and fully implement the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities agreement.
- The diplomats warned that renewed fighting in Tigray would have devastating effects on communities already facing economic hardship, drought and dependence on humanitarian assistance.
- The accreditation of three Reuters journalists has been reinstated by the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) after being suspended for six months. The suspension followed a Reuters investigation alleging that Ethiopia hosted a covert training camp for fighters linked to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces.
- Ethiopia’s Grade 12 examination decreased by 300,000 students over five years, while the proportion meeting the university entrance threshold rose to 12.8% in the 2025/26 academic year.
- With some improvements in school performance, authorities cautioned that conflict and drought continue to keep millions of children out of education, limiting the wider impact of these gains.
International and regional situation (per 31 August)
- Ethiopia has rapidly expanded military resources at the ENDF base in Asosa between 23 and 28 August, potentially preparing for operations connected to Sudan’s war, according to the satellite analysis by the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL).
- The site is now reported to contain around 100 light military vehicles, possible armoured carriers, transporters, containers and new storage facilities, enough to support a sizable force.
- Yale researchers warn that “the increase in materiel and vehicle supply at the ENDF base in Asosa increases the threat of a significant and imminent attack on Ad-Damazin by RSF”.
- Sudan’s army said it has brought down a drone that entered southeastern Blue Nile State from Ethiopian territory on 27 August, marking the third reported interception near the border. The military has not identified the drone’s operator, origin or target, while Ethiopian officials have yet to comment.
- Sudan’s foreign ministry accused the international community of overlooking repeated drone incursions it says originate from Ethiopia.
- Two Ethiopian UN peacekeepers were killed and seven others injured when unidentified gunmen ambushed a patrol of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in Jonglei State.
- The UN condemned the attack, adding the unit may have been deliberately targeted and warned that such attacks could constitute war crimes.
- Violence has broken out along the Kenya–Ethiopia border in Turkana County over the weekend, following the alleged killing of an Ethiopian Nyangatom herder and the interception of a goods truck.
- The clashes have disrupted transport, trade and essential services, leaving local residents fearful. Authorities from both countries are working together through increased security, dialogue and community meetings to prevent revenge attacks and restore peaceful coexistence.
Links of interest
Sudan lifts two-year curfew in Khartoum amid ongoing war
UNHCR Khartoum Returns Report June 2026
Returnees face severe challenges in Khartoum as Sudan’s capital struggles to recover from war
US urges tougher UN sanctions to pressure Sudan’s warring sides toward peace
4 civilians killed in RSF attacks in Sudan’s North Kordofan: Emergency Room
Dozens killed in rebel attacks on Sudan’s Kordofan, medical group says
SAF accused of deadly market strike, fighting intensifies in Kordofan and Blue Nile
Chad accuses Sudan of air strike near shared border that killed 12
Sudan denies striking inside Chad, points to drone attacks from Ethiopia
200 fighters defect from Sudan’s paramilitary RSF, join army: State media
News: World Bank-supported school ICT center destroyed in latest drone strike in Tigray
Facebook: European Union in Ethiopia’s post
Ethiopia reinstates accreditation of Reuters journalists after six-month suspension
Grade 12 Examinee Numbers Drop by 300,000 Over Five Years as Pass Rates Rebound to 12.8 Percent
Brigade-Size Support Assembled at Asosa ENDF Base Associated with RSF Activity
Sudanese army says it downed drone crossing from Ethiopia
Clashes erupt in Kenya-Ethiopia border communities
South Sudan Ambush Kills Two Ethiopians Days After Kenyan Truck Driver’s Death
Disclaimer: All information in this Situation Report is presented as a fluid update report, as to the best knowledge and understanding of the authors at the moment of publication. EEPA does not claim that the information is correct but verifies to the best of ability within the circumstances. Publication is weighed on the basis of interest to understand potential impacts of events (or perceptions of these) on the situation. Check all information against updates and other media. EEPA does not take responsibility for the use of the information or impact thereof. All information reported originates from third parties and the content of all reported and linked information remains the sole responsibility of these third parties. Report to info@eepa.be any additional information and corrections.