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 8 January)
- Tomorrow marks 1000 days since the start of the conflict in Sudan. Fighting continues unabated.
- A drone attack on a house in El-Obeid, North Kordofan, has killed 13 people, including children, on Tuesday.
- Fighting in the Kordofan region has displaced 65.000 people in the span of three months.
- The telecommunications environment in Sudan remains under severe pressure amidst localised and nationwide shutdowns, power outages and damage, reports the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster. Only a fraction of the funding required for emergency telecommunications is met.
Situation in South Sudan (per 8 January)
- SPLM/A-IO Major General John Luk Bayak in northern Jonglei State issued an order demanding that humanitarian organizations surrender their vehicles.
- A joint statement by Western nations called the order a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian principles.”
- South Sudanese security forces are committing arbitrary arrests against South Sudanese citizens, states Human Rights Watch. In addition, boys and young men have been forcibly conscripted and young women have been sexually abused.
- Many of the arrested persons have been held up to a week without charges and have been released only after payment of bribes by their families.
- The food security outlook in South Sudan is dire as the number of counties expected to be facing emergency hunger levels (IPC 4) is 35 by May 2026, which is more than double the number in December 2025 (14).
Situation in Ethiopia (per 8 January)
- At least 22 refugees and migrants were killed in a truck accident in Semera, Afar region, on Tuesday. 65 others were injured. The truck overturned on the highway.
- The crowded truck was on the way to the eastern route from Djibouti to Yemen.
- Relative calm has reportedly returned to Gambella city after days of violence, but refugees in surrounding camps are cut off from food and water.
- The World Food Programme (WFP) warns that the aid situation in Ethiopia is at a breaking point, as 1.1 million people risk losing access to food, water and healthcare within weeks due to funding cuts.
Situation in Somalia (per 8 January)
- The United States announced it paused all assistance to Somalia’s federal government after accusing local officials of destroying a WFP warehouse and seizing 76 metric tons of food aid. The scope and duration of the pause are unclear.
- The US State Department said that “resumption of assistance will be dependent upon the Somali Federal Government taking accountability for its unacceptable actions and taking appropriate remedial steps.”
Regional & International Situation (per 8 January)
- Israel’s foreign minister visited Somaliland on Tuesday, following Israel’s recognition of Somaliland’s independence. Minister Gideon Saar discussed Israel-Somaliland relations in Hargeisa with Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohammed Abdullah.
- Somalia called the visit of Gideon Saar a serious violation of its sovereignty.
- The African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council called for the immediate revocation of the recognition of Somaliland by Israel, following an emergency ministerial session on 6 January.
- The AU rejected any actions that could affect the unity of African states or their internationally recognised borders, stating that it supports Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
- The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an extraordinary meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers on Saturday to discuss Israel’s recognition of Somaliland.
- Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni held a meeting with the Ethiopian Consul General, Tagesse Lambamo Dimbore, in Garowe on Tuesday. The outcomes of the meeting are unknown.
- SAF leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan met with the Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister, Waleed Al-Khereiji, in Port Sudan on Wednesday. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud travelled to Washington to discuss with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
- This follows discussions between Saudi and US officials on Sudan in Riyadh on Tuesday.
- Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki held talks with Sudanese Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim and Information Minister Khalid Aleisir on Sunday to discuss Red Sea stability.
- A US judge certified the decision of a jury in October 2025 which found that the bank BNP Paribas had helped Sudan’s former government under President Omar al-Bashir to commit genocide by providing banking services which were against US sanctions.
- BNP responded by saying that the verdict cleared the way for them to appeal the decision.
Refugee and Migration Situation (per 8 January)
- Cyprus has taken over the rotating EU presidency, with migration expected to be a major focus point.
- Deportations from the EU for 2025 are expected to have sharply risen, the European Commission announced. It still needs to crunch the numbers to come to an exact report.
- Europe’s border agency Frontex recorded over 16.000 crossings by Egyptian nationals, mostly departing from Libya, in 2025, which makes it the dealing nationality to migrate to the EU.
Links of interest
Sudan, conflict – ETC Situation Report #35 (Reporting period: December 2025)
Thirteen more lives lost in Sudan as 1,000th day of war looms
Sudan crisis: 65,000 uprooted by fighting and hunger in Kordofan
Western nations condemn order to seize aid vehicles in Jonglei
South Sudan: Abusive ‘Anti-Gang’ Crackdown
Conflict disrupts humanitarian access, sustaining Emergency and risk of Famine in Nasir, December 2025
Truck crash in Ethiopia kills 22 people, dozens hurt
News: Relative calm returns to Gambella City, but refugee camps remain cut off as displaced residents shelter in schools
World News in Brief: Escalating violence in Sudan, civilian danger grows in Ukraine, Ethiopia aid cuts
US halts aid to Somalia over alleged seizure of food relief
Somalia calls Israeli FM visit to Somaliland an ‘incursion’
African security council urges Israel to withdraw recognition of Somaliland
Emergency session on Israel’s recognition of Somaliland
OIC calls emergency meeting after Israel recognizes Somaliland
Puntland President Meets High-Ranking Ethiopian Diplomat in Garowe
US, Saudi Arabia push for humanitarian truce in Sudan
Isaias Afwerki discusses Red Sea stability with Sudanese ministers
BNP Paribas plans to pursue appeal in Sudan case after US judge decision
Cyprus takes over EU presidency, with migration as a key policy issue
EU announces rise in deportations, while Denmark signals it is prepared to overstep ECHR
Why are people migrating from Egypt?
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.