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 3 March)
- Two airplanes came down in Sudan last week, one in Nyala, Darfur and one in Omdurman. Both were cargo aircrafts reportedly operated by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
- The death toll in Nyala is unknown, but at least Maj-Gen. Abu Al-Gasim Al-Madani was killed. In Omdurman, 29 civilians and 17 SAF personnel were killed.
- Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched retaliatory attacks against villages in the southeastern part of El Fasher, North Darfur, on Saturday. RSF killed civilians, looted livestock and thousands of people were displaced.
- The attacks were a response to the destruction of an RSF supply convoy by SAF and allied forces.
- The shelling of a market in the Abou Shouk displacement camp in North Darfur, reportedly by RSF, killed at least six people on Sunday.
- The suspension of USAID is hitting Sudan particularly hard, as it has forced vital aid operations to close. Around 80% of the soup kitchens have reportedly closed down. Areas such as the East Nile area east of Khartoum are facing a rapidly worsening food situation, as cholera outbreaks loom.
- Children are already dying from hunger in Zamzam displacement camp, states the UN World Food Programme (WFP). Both WFP and Medécins Sans Frontières (MSF) have paused their aid operations due to the escalating violence targeting the camp.
Situation in South Sudan (per 3 March)
- Human Rights Watch (HRW) warns about escalation of fighting in Nasir County, Upper Nile State. South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) launched airstrikes against Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLA/IO) on 25 February, which also hit civilian areas.
- Thousands of people have been displaced, and the fighting might escalate further, as the trust between the SSPDF and communities is damaged.
- South Sudanese leaders are enabling impunity, corruption and systemic human rights violations, according to a new report by the Commission on human rights in South Sudan. It warns that the extension of the transitional government’s mandate should not be an excuse to delay reforms.
- Basic needs and protection are severely lacking in the Abyei region, which is disputed between Sudan and South Sudan. Refugees and returnees from Sudan have put additional pressure on the situation.
Situation in Ethiopia (per 3 March)
- Four opposition parties in Ethiopia, Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party (EPRP), Enat Party, the Amhara Nationalist Movement, and the All Ethiopian Unity Organization (AEO), released a statement condemning a drone attack in the Amhara region in which 16 civilians were killed on 23 February.
Situation in Eritrea (per 3 March)
- UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, Mohamed Babiker, updated the UN Human Rights Council at its 58th session.
- The Special Rapporteur states that there continues to be widespread and systematic repressions ongoing in Eritrea, characterized by a widespread climate of fear. Hundreds of families remain unaware of what happened to family members who have been arrested and disappeared.
- Eritrean authorities continue to ignore calls for reform of the national service, which the Special Rapporteur calls a system of forced labour. It impacts all aspects of life in Eritrea, he states.
- The Special Rapporteur calls on Eritrea to take concrete and specific measures to address the human rights abuses, and for sustained pressure by UN member states on Eritrea to do so.
- Ilze Brands-Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General at the UN Human Rights Office, notes that Eritrean troops continue to be present and commit human rights abuses in Tigray, and that there is continued impunity for the past and ongoing abuses.
- She notes that Eritrean troops continue to commit “abductions, rape, property looting, and arbitrary arrests”, and calls for their immediate withdrawal.
- The statement by the UK at the Human Rights Council calls on Eritrea to address concerns surrounding transnational repression by Eritrea, warning that it will not hesitate to prosecute any perpetrators.
Regional Situation (per 3 March)
- Thousands of refugees are protesting in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya in relation to food and water shortages. Videos show that the situation is tense and that the refugees were being shot at.
- The refugees say they have not received proper meals for months, and they call for international intervention. Refugee governing authorities have reportedly not yet responded to the protests.
- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed travelled to Mogadishu, Somalia, on Thursday for bilateral talks with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
- Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs, Ali Mohamed Omar, stated after the meeting that Somalia and Ethiopia are working on a framework agreement for granting sea access to Ethiopia through a port on the Indian Ocean. The aim is to reach an agreement by June.
- Mortar shells were fired at the Mogadishu International Airport (MIA) on Thursday 27 February, just before PM Abiy Ahmed was set to arrive by airplane. At least nine rounds were reportedly fired.
- Two civilians were reportedly wounded in the attack, but the Ethiopian PM arrived without further incident.
International Situation (per 3 March)
- The Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration Badr Abdelatty visited Asmara, Eritrea, on Friday for a meeting with Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki.
- The visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and activating a coordination mechanism for relations between Egypt, Somalia and Eritrea, following the meeting in Cairo in January.
- Kenya’s role in peace processes in the Horn is under scrutiny, following the decision to host the RSF and allied forces for their launch of a parallel government.
Links of interest
Two airplanes downed in Sudan conflict zones
Retaliatory RSF attacks force mass displacement near El-Fasher
Paramilitary shelling kills six in Sudan’s North Darfur: rescuers
Sospesa in Sudan distribuzione di cibo nei campi degli sfollati: migliaia a rischio morte per fame
Cholera outbreak and famine threaten East Nile, Khartoum
Children already dying in Sudan’s stricken Zamzam camp: WFP
South Sudan Army Attacks Displace Thousands in Nasir
A/HRC/58/27 – Report of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (Advance edited version)
“We don’t have protection”: The worsening crisis in disputed Abyei
Opposition parties accuse gov’t of state terrorism in light of drone attacks
Eritrea continues to face a longstanding human rights crisis characterized by repression
UN Human Rights Council 58: UK Statement at the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on Eritrea
Somalia Weighs Indian Ocean Port Access for Neighboring Ethiopia
Ethiopian PM arrives in Mogadishu amid mortar attack
Kenya’s diplomatic misstep: Hosting RSF’s parallel government backfires
FM delivers message from Sisi to Eritrean president on promoting bilateral relations-SIS
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.