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 21 October)
- Fighting took place in the Jebel Oum in West Darfur, close to the Chad-Sudan border, as Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked an outpost of the Joint Forces.
- RSF commander in Al Jazira, Abu Aqla Kakil, has defected to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), stated SAF. The negotiations around Kakil’s surrender resulted in amnesty and the pledge to fight alongside SAF to free Al Jazira state.
- RSF downplayed the defection, stating he left only with a few vehicles and companions.
Situation in South Sudan (per 21 October)
- 317 incidents of violence against civilians, in which 442 people were killed, 297 injured, 197 abducted and 126 subjected to sexual violence, were recorded by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) between April and June 2024.
- This is a 43% rise in the number of incidents and 22% rise in the number of victims compared to the same period in 2023. Especially the number of abductions and rate of sexual violence have increased.
- Four people were killed by armed men who opened fire at a market in the border area in Kanga Boma in Kajo-keji Payam. This follows a series of violent attacks on civilians which have killed dozens of people in different parts of Central Equatoria State in October 2024.
- Three civilians were killed in an attack by Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) in Nasir County in the Upper Nile State. 13 SSPDF attackers were also reportedly killed.
- South Sudan President Salva Kiir dismissed the deputy intelligence chief for finance, two weeks after dismissing the Director General of the Internal Security Bureau (ISB) of the National Security Service (NSS).
- President Kiir has sacked Mohammed Lino Benjamin as the Managing Director of national oil company Nilepet. He had been in position for around 6 months.
- As Sudan states it is ready to restart oil exports from South Sudan, civil society in South Sudan urges both countries to ensure that the oil resources are not used to fuel conflict.
- South Sudan is witnessing some of the worst flooding in decades. It has left 226,000 people displaced, key infrastructure submerged and communities devastated, according to the UN.
- The floods have exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation, with diseases such as malaria on the rise, and healthcare facilities unreachable.
- Over a million South Sudanese people have been affected by floods across most of the country. 112,000 people in Pibor have lost their homes, often fleeing with nothing in terms of possessions or food.
Situation in Ethiopia (per 21 October)
- Over 100 people have been killed in drone strikes and indiscriminate attacks in the South Mecha district of North Gojjam Zone in the Amhara region since the beginning of October. Eyewitnesses blame Ethiopian government forces.
- The deaths included children and elderly.
- Amhara universities warn about the rise in victims of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) that have sought clinical care. Those victims only represent a fraction of the real numbers, warn the universities.
- The World Food Programme (WFP) was aware of food diversion throughout Ethiopia as early as 2021, warned by its own staff and other humanitarian organisations, but failed to act, states Reuters in a special report.
- Aid was being diverted to the Ethiopian and Tigrayan armies as well as to the black market, according to USAID officials. US officials have privately accused WFP of being an untrustworthy partner.
- In a January 2024 report, WFP blamed the diversion mainly on the beneficiaries of food aid, who they state were selling food rations.
- Due to the diversion, food aid to Ethiopia was stopped in September 2022. USAID and WFP are still investigating who was responsible for the large-scale stealing of aid.
- Gedion Timothewos was appointed Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Gedion’s wife, Hanna Arayaselassie, was appointed as Minister for Justice.
- The National Dialogue Commission notes process challenges due to the situation in Amhara and Tigray.
Situation in Tigray (per 21 October)
- The Tigray Independence Party (TIA) has filed a formal complaint accusing individuals “linked to the TPLF” of subjecting its members and leaders to murder, imprisonment, and intimidation.
- The TIA stated that one of its members, Gebre Yohannes Hailu, was taken from his home by armed individuals and was later found dead in a river.
Regional Situation (per 21 October)
- Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited Uganda at the invitation of Ugandan President Museveni. The leaders discussed bilateral relations, regional security, and Somalia’s recent integration into the East African Community (EAC).
- The Somali National Army states that it killed 30 Al-Shabaab militants after an operation at the Qeycad location in the southern Mudug region. Witnesses state that the gunbattle between the army and the militants lasted several hours.
International Situation (per 21 October)
- RSF and SAF’s “systematic obstruction of local and international humanitarian efforts” is causing the famine in Zamzam camp and the risk of famine in greater Darfur, as well as urban and rural areas of South Kordofan, according to a joint statement by the UK and 10 other donors.
- “An immediate and coordinated scale-up of assistance, together with full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to populations in need, is urgently required to mitigate the large-scale loss of life”, warns the statement.
- The impediments also include bureaucratic ones, such as delays in issuing visas and travel permits.
Links of interest
RSF and Joint Force battle at Jebel Oum on Chad-Sudan border
RSF commander defects to Sudanese army in Al Jazirah state
UNMISS: Brief on violence affecting civilians
Calm returns to Kajo-Keji after gunmen killed four in market attack
CEPO Urges South Sudan and Sudan Leaders to Resume Oil Production for Peace, Not War
Kiir sacks veteran deputy spy chief
South Sudan’s Kiir sacks head of Nilepet, names successor
Severe flooding compounds health crisis in South Sudan, WHO mobilizes response
UN food agency failed to act as U.S. aid was looted in Ethiopia
Amhara universities forum raises alarm over rising sexual violence, disease outbreaks amid conflict
Ethiopian PM Appoints Husband and Wife as Foreign and Justice Ministers
Museveni, Somalia President discuss peace, stability in Horn of Africa
Somalia military strikes major blow to al-Shabab, kills 30 militants
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.