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 6 March)
- The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied groups have signed a transitional constitution that solidifies RSF’s aim to create a parallel government. The newly established constitution outlines a federal, secular government divided into eight regions.
- While the constitution proposes the formation of a unified national army and mentions future elections, the specifics regarding the new government’s composition and operational base remain uncertain.
- Heavy shelling by the RSF on a market in the Abu Shouk camp for displaced people, North Darfur, has resulted in numerous injuries, with fears of many deaths among the camp’s population. The attack which occurred on Tuesday evening was the second assault on the market in three days.
- Armed groups are perpetrating horrific acts of sexual violence against children, including infants, with 221 reported cases of child rape since the start of 2024, reports UNHCR, calling for immediate action to address this widespread violence and the establishment of essential services to support survivors.
- Abdalla Hamdok, the former Prime Minister of Sudan, has called on the AU and UN Security Council to set up an urgent meeting involving key military and political leaders across warring factions in Sudan to establish a humanitarian truce and an unconditional ceasefire amid the ongoing conflict.
- The severe hunger crisis in Sudan has been exacerbated by the suspension of USAID funding as community kitchens close and aid is obstructed by ongoing conflict.
- “About 80 percent of the 1,460 community kitchens across Sudan were shut down,” after the freeze of USAID, according to Emergency Response Rooms spokesperson, Hajooj Kuka.
- Artillery shelling in the al-Thawra suburb of Omdurman resulted in the death of a child and injured several others, with the Khartoum State Health Ministry attributing the attack to the RSF.
Situation in South Sudan (per 6 March)
- Several high-ranking officials allied with Vice President Riek Machar’s party Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) were arrested on Tuesday, escalating tensions in Juba. Alongside the arrests, soldiers were deployed and surrounded Machar’s home.
- Among those arrested were general Gabriel Duop Lam and Petroleum Minister Pout Kang Chol, who was taken from his home together with his bodyguards as well as some of his family members.
- As the official reasons for the arrests remain unknown, the opposition group has labeled them as a serious breach of the peace agreement that concluded a lengthy civil war.
- The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has raised the alarm over a significant funding shortfall of $412 million for 2025 to meet the humanitarian needs in South Sudan, emphasizing the necessity of securing resources for food aid and logistical support before the rainy season will start in May.
Situation in Ethiopia (per 6 March)
- The impact of ongoing internal disputes between two factions of Tigray People’s Liberation Front Party (TPLF) has significant implications, as it is slowing down aid delivery, as well as rebuilding of health, education, and infrastructure sectors, states a new report by The New Humanitarian.
- Ethiopia has significantly increased its domestic ammunition production, now reaching a point where it can export its products, informed Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, stating that this advancement bolsters national defense and contributes to broader self-reliance of the country.
- The humanitarian situation in the Amhara region is alarming with over 560,000 displaced people (IDPs) urgently needing shelter and essential supplies, as conditions in overcrowded and damaged IDP sites continue to deteriorate, reports the Global Shelter Cluster (GSC).
- The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has announced that thanks to successful advocacy efforts, the Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) has reinstated four civil society organizations which were previously suspended.
Regional & International Situation (per 6 March)
- Kenyan authorities arrested Sudanese opposition leader Yassir Arman, head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Revolutionary Democratic Current, based on an Interpol warrant.
- The Sudanese government requested Interpol to issue a warrant, accusing Arman of violations of Sudanese law and international humanitarian law.
- The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is planning to send a high-level delegation to South Sudan to evaluate the worsening security situation in Nasir County, where recent violence threatens the fragile peace in South Sudan.
- The US embassy in Somalia has issued a warning to Americans about threats of imminent terrorist attacks targeting various locations, including Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport, and has suspended all movements of embassy personnel until further notice.
Refugee and Migration Situation (per 6 March)
- At least four refugees and one official were injured after Kenyan police intervened during protests in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya, earlier this week as refugees had been protesting against food aid cuts. Police reportedly used teargas and gunshots to disperse the crowd.
- The WFP previously announced that food rations in Kakuma will be reduced to 40% of the basic minimum rations amid suspension of USAID.
- Amnesty International has reported ongoing arbitrary detention and forced deportation of Eritrean refugees, with over 600 individuals forcibly returned to Eritrea in the past three months, highlighting a dire human rights situation for Eritrean refugees in both Ethiopia and Sudan.
- The European Commission is set to revamp the EU’s deportation system to expedite the return of rejected asylum seekers, with plans to introduce stricter penalties for those who do not comply with authorities and official decisions.
- Migrant centers in Albania are illegitimate and should be shut down due to ethical, legal, and economic concerns, shows a report by an Italian NGO coalition, citing inadequate vulnerability assessments and systematic violations of asylum rights.
Links of interest
Sudan’s RSF and allies formalise vision for parallel government
Many feared dead in Sudan after shelling hits crowded market
Sudan: Children as young as one raped during conflict, UNICEF warns
Hamdok calls for urgent UN-AU ‘truce talks’ with Sudan’s warring parties
Sudanese starve as soup kitchens close down and warring parties block aid
Child killed, others wounded in shelling of Omdurman suburb, Health Ministry
South Sudan arrests key Machar allies as army surrounds his house
WFP South Sudan Country Brief, January 2025
A power struggle in Tigray risks Ethiopia’s peace deal
Ethiopia Expands Domestic Ammunition Production, Moves Toward Export – PM Abiy
Ethiopia ESNFI Cluster Operational Presence & Response Monitoring
Lifting of the Suspension of Four Civil Society Organizations
Kenya detains Sudanese politician Arman on Interpol request
US embassy in Somalia issues urgent warning of potential imminent terror attacks
Refugees in Kenya’s Kakuma camp clash with police after food supplies cut
The HRC should condemn forced return of Eritrean refugees
Brussels eyes tougher deportation rules with ‘harsh consequences’ for noncompliance
‘Migrant centers in Albania are illegitimate’, says NGO report
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.