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 15 December)
- Six Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers have been killed, with 8 injured in a drone strike on a peacekeeping base in Kadugli, South Kordofan, on Saturday.
- The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of the attack. The attack was immediately condemned by UN secretary general António Guterres, stating that it “may constitute war crimes under international law”.
- Nine civilians have been killed and 17 injured in an RSF attack on a military hospital and civilian areas including the Karol and Al-Samasim zones in Dilling, South Kordofan, reports the Sudan Doctors Network.
- At least 30 civilians have been killed in a drone strike on Katila, South Darfur, with additional casualties in a strike on Kutum, North Darfur, both on 8 December, reported the UN Security Council in a briefing on 12 December.
- RSF and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N) have shelled the main market, and the western neighborhood in their ongoing attacks on besieged Kadugli, South Kordofan, resulting in an unknown number of casualties.
- Civilians trying to flee the city towards Dilling and El-Obeid face a dangerous escape through RSF-controlled territory, with reports of killings, looting, and detentions.
- Over 900 people have fled South Kordofan in 3 days amidst worsening security situation, reports IOM.
- The World Food Programme (WFP) has reached an agreement with the RSF for a set of minimum conditions to enter El Fasher, North Darfur, for initial assessment and aid delivery.
- The WFP further expressed deep concern for the “completely obliterated” essentials for survival of the “anywhere between 70 and 100,000 people potentially remaining trapped inside the city itself”.
- The rape of 12 women by RSF members in Bara, North Kordofan, during its capture in October has been documented by the Gender Equality Network, with one to two victims of sexual assault continuing to arrive from Bara at the state capital’s El-Obeid Teaching Hospital each day.
Situation in South Sudan (per 15 December)
- Opposition member of parliament Luka Mathen Toupiny Luk was killed in his house in Juba by four gunmen on Saturday, two of whom have been arrested. No official statement has yet been released by South Sudanese authorities on the event.
- South Sudan’s government has reiterated its demands to close the key UN peacekeeping bases in Wau and Bentiu in a statement on Monday, citing sovereignty and national security concerns.
- Four UN peacekeeping aircrafts have been grounded by authorities after alleging that two were equipped with spy equipment, and that the other two were used for smuggling resources to Sudan.
Situation in Ethiopia (per 15 December)
- Nine Ethiopian TikTok content creators were arrested last week. Six were arrested for allegedly wearing “indecent attire” during the Ethiopia Creative Awards, and the other three were arrested for alleged violations in the content they created.
- A photo report by The Guardian documents the fight of the Fano militia in Amhara against the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF).
- Six Tigray opposition parties have signed a statement rejecting the National Dialogue Conference launched by the Tigray Interim Administration. The conference is supposed to promote dialogue and consensus, but the opposition parties have raised questions about its credibility and independence.
- Deutsche Welle (DW) strongly protested the permanent suspension of two of its correspondents by the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA). The correspondents had been covering the events in Tigray and Amhara. DW’s other seven correspondents were cleared to return to work.
Regional Situation (per 15 December)
- Eritrea has withdrawn itself from the East-African Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), amid rising tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia over Red Sea access.
- Eritrea’s foreign ministry claims that IGAD has offered “no discernible strategic benefit to all its constituencies”, with IGAD reacting that Eritrea had not made any “tangible proposals” nor engaged with reforms.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Ethiopia and Eritrea to end current hostilities, and recommit to the Algiers Agreement which marked its 25th anniversary on Friday.
International Situation (per 15 December)
- Notorious Libyan human trafficker Ahmed Oumar al-Fitouri al-Dabbashi, nicknamed Al-Amu, was killed on Friday during a raid by security forces on his hideout in Sabratha, Libya. Al-Amu was the leader of the Brigade of the Martyr Anas al-Dabbashi militia and was under sanctions for human trafficking.
- Al-Amu’s brother Saleh al-Dabbashi, another alleged trafficker, was arrested during the raid.
- The US Department of Homeland Security announced an end to the Temporary Protected Status for over 5,000 Ethiopians, stating that “the situation no longer meets the criteria for an ongoing armed conflict that poses a serious threat to the personal safety of returning Ethiopian nationals”.
- The German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Reem Alabali Radovan, is visiting Ethiopia today for meetings with the Ethiopian federal government and the African Union.
- Germany signed a five million euro financing package for the United Nations Development Programme Peace Support Facility in Ethiopia, calling on the Ethiopian government to increase its investment into communities affected by conflict.
Links of interest
Drone strike on UN facility in war-torn Sudan leaves six peacekeepers dead
9 killed in RSF drone attack on Sudan’s South Kordofan, medics say
SPLM-N, RSF pound South Kordofan cities with artillery, drones
Noon briefing of 12 December 2025
Over 900 Sudanese flee South Kordofan amid worsening insecurity: UN
Sudan war: Aid teams say deal struck to reach stricken El Fasher
Rights group documents rape of 12 women in RSF-held Bara
South Sudanese opposition MP shot dead
South Sudan insists on closure of UN bases in Wau, Bentiu
South Sudan accuses UN-contracted planes of smuggling, spy gear
Ethiopia TikTok: Nine arrested in social media crackdown
Gambella city imposes curfew after gunfire attacks kill four, injure eight
Inside Ethiopia’s Fano insurgency – photo essay
News: Tigray opposition parties reject ongoing dialogue conference, call for inclusive transitional government
Ethiopia: Two DW correspondents permanently suspended
Eritrea quits regional bloc as tensions rise with Ethiopia
UN urges Eritrea, Ethiopia to respect border pact on 25th anniversary
UN-sanctioned migrant smuggler killed in western Libya
DHS Ends Programs to Reunite U.S. Citizens With Family Members Abroad and TPS for EthiopiansVisit of German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development to Ethiopia and the African Union
Germany urges Ethiopia Invest in Recovery, Resilience for Communities Affected by Conflict
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.