
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 9 December)
- 28 people were killed and 37 injured after a drone attack on a fuel station in southern Khartoum on Sunday. It is not yet clear who was responsible for the attack.
- At least seven people were killed after an airstrike by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) which hit a mosque in the Shambat district of Khartoum Bahri, Emergency Lawyers reports.
- The attack reportedly occurred after Friday prayers. Emergency Lawyers stated that the aerial bombing was indiscriminate.
- Heavy fighting erupted in several places in the Blue Nile and White Nile States of Sudan between SAF and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with both sides claiming victories.
- Sudanese opposition coalition members have rejected a proposal to form a government in exile. This was discussed in a Taqaddum meeting in Entebbe, Uganda, between 3-6 December.
Situation in South Sudan (per 9 December)
- A spokesperson of the South Sudanese opposition groups participating in the Tumaini Initiative peace talks in Nairobi, Kenya, stated that the opposition groups are disheartened by the anti-peace rhetoric of the South Sudanese government delegation.
- The opposition accuses the delegation of undermining the existing peace frameworks.
- Communal fighting is ongoing in Cueibet and Lakes State, reportedly since 4 December. At least 7 people have been killed.
- Local authorities in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) warn that armed youth from Jonglei State may attack western parts of Pibor.
- The cholera outbreak in South Sudan is spreading further beyond the epicentre of Renk. In Malakal alone, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports a total of 737 cholera cases.
- The activities to contain the outbreak immediately need to be scaled up to contain it, warns MSF.
- Over 3,000 truckers staged a protest last week over what they state are illegal checkpoints which extort them along the Juba-Nimule highway.
Situation in Ethiopia (per 9 December)
- In the North Wollo Zone of the Amhara region, a drone attack on a commercial truck reportedly killed around 50 people on 19 November, according to eyewitnesses and affected families.
- The truck had just left a market area when the attack occurred. The victims were civilians, including market vendors, farmers, and young people.
- 37 government officials were reportedly killed in Dega Damot-Feresbet, Gojjam. Fano militia which controlled the town left on Friday. Desalegne Tassew, head of the Amhara region peace and security office, states that Fano killed 37 out of the 97 officials they had arrested.
- An investigation by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has uncovered serious human rights violations in the Oromia region, stating that children as young as 11 have been forcibly conscripted into regional militias, with families facing extortion to secure their release.
- Ethiopian political activist Jawar Mohammed posted on X on the Syrian dictatorship under Assad, stating that Assad refused peaceful negotiations while he bombed his people. Jawar warned that other dictators are currently making the same mistakes.
- Jawar recently gave an interview in which he was critical of Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed for the first time since his release.
- The recent publication of a comprehensive study on the Tigray conflict underscores the severe human rights violations that occurred between 2020 and 2022, resulting in approximately 700,000 deaths and widespread displacement, while highlighting the geopolitical interests that fueled the violence.
- As the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights coincides with ongoing legal proceedings against individuals accused of atrocities, the book emphasizes the importance of global cooperation in addressing these crimes and upholding human rights standards.
- Ethiopia experienced a nationwide blackout on Saturday evening due to a failure in its power grid. The electricity was restored in about half of the country, including the capital of Addis Ababa, in the evening.
Regional Situation (per 9 December)
- A statement from Somalia’s Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism accused Ethiopia of interfering in the southern Jubaland region by moving Ethiopian troops towards the Bulohawo district in southern Gedo on Friday.
- The statement accuses Ethiopia of trying to start a conflict among the clans there.
- It is reported that the Ethiopian troops disrupted a Somali government operation to arrest the security minister of the Jubaland government.
- Clashes erupted near Raaskambooni between Jubaland forces and troops from the Somali Federal Government on Thursday night, following the deployment of elite units to the area amid escalating tensions over Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe’s re-election.
- Communications disruptions make it difficult to get a picture of the number of casualties.
- Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki met with Kenyan politician Raila Odinga in Eritrea on 6 December. Odinga is a candidate for Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC).
International Situation (per 9 December)
- Despite a vast and intricate early warning-and-response system on famine, help has failed to reach the Zamzam camp in Darfur, states Reuters.
- Famine was detected in Zamzam as early as August. The head of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, IPC, calls the inability of the international community to prevent famine in Sudan a collective failure.
Links of interest
Intensified Sudan capital battles leave 31 dead, drones target Atbara again
Sudan air strike on a mosque kills at least seven – lawyers
Fighting erupts in Blue Nile and White Nile States
Sudan’s anti-war bloc to study formation of ‘government in exile’
Opposition groups at Tumaini Initiative dismayed by govt delegation’s anti-peace stance
MP says 7 killed in Cueibet inter-clan fighting
Armed youth from Jonglei allegedly moving to attack Pibor
VP Abdelbagi, Governor Jadalla meet on mitigating worsening cholera crisis
MSF Calls for Improved and Coordinated Response to Cholera Outbreak in South Sudan
3,000 truckers refuse to enter Nimule in week-long strike over illegal checkpoints
በሰሜን ወሎ ሲኖትራክ ላይ በተፈጸመ የድሮን ጥቃት በርካቶች መገደላቸውን የዓይን እማኞች እና የተጎጂ ቤተሰቦች ተናገሩ
Gov’t Claims 37 Government Officials Killed in Amhara Region
EHRC condemns forced conscription of minors, extortion in Oromia
Ethiopia Hit By Nationwide Power Outage
Somalia accuses Ethiopia of ‘interference’, inciting conflict among clans
Clashes Erupt Between Jubaland and Federal Forces As Concerns of Civil War Intensified
Van Reisen: ‘The rule of law is under pressure even in the Netherlands’
The world’s hunger watchdog warned of catastrophe in Sudan. Famine struck anyway.
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.