♦ Sudan: This week’s news in brief ♦

A compact digest of the past week’s most-read highlights, from the heart of Sudan. Subscribe to receive this digest weekly in your inbox.

Sudan war: African Union Peace and Security Council to muster emergency summit
 
23/06/2024 – ADDIS ABABA. At its 1218th meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Friday, the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union proposed for an extraordinary summit to be convened to consider the situation in Sudan and emphasised the need to ensure the protection of civilians in Sudan. In a communiqué following the meeting, the PSC “strongly condemns the ongoing war in Sudan and its adverse impact on the Sudanese people and the Region; and its attendant violations of human rights, international human rights law and international humanitarian law.”
 
The PSC demands that the warring parties immediately cease fighting and prioritise the interests of the Sudanese people. It asserts that “there is no viable and sustainable military solution to the conflict, and only a genuine inclusive dialogue can lead to a sustainable solution to the current situation.”

US envoy warns Sudan factions to ‘negotiate peace or face international intervention’
 
19/06/2024 – PORT SUDAN. The US Special Envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, signalled that the international community is prepared to explore alternative measures if Sudan’s warring factions do not demonstrate genuine commitment to peace negotiations. 
 
Perriello highlighted the importance of involving regional powers in the peace process. “It’s based on the idea of building in the parties who can ensure the peace deal and its enforcement,” he explained. This includes Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and the African Union. The envoy underscored the detrimental impact of the ongoing conflict, stating, “We have both sides stuck in a war of attrition where nobody is winning, and the Sudanese people are clearly losing. We’re seeing a war that’s spiralling out of control with more factions and ethnic cleansing.”

UAE suspends ‘emergency’ residence permits for Sudan refugees
26/06/2024 – ABU DHABI. The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Authority For Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security announced the suspension of the ‘emergency’ residence permits, which grants residence to those fleeing the ongoing war for Sudanese refugees who possess any type of visit permit. However, Sudanese nationals with cancelled ’emergency’ residency within the UAE are allowed to reapply and obtain new permits within a month, without incurring fines.
 
Darfur’s ‘only dialysis centre’ hit by RSF
25/06/2024 – EL FASHER. On Sunday, the only remaining dialysis centre in El Fasher, North Darfur was targeted by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), causing severe damage to equipment and buildings. There are reports that another hospital in El Fasher was targeted by the RSF.
 
Urgent plea to aid Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia and Uganda
24/06/2024 – KUMER / ULALA / KIRYANDONGO. The No to Women’s Oppression initiative has launched an urgent humanitarian appeal to the international community to resolve the crisis of Sudanese refugees stranded in camps in the forests of Ethiopia, while Sudanese refugees in Uganda’s Kiryandongo camp called for improved living conditions and support from Tagadom.
 
Sudan: Date palms and orchards destroyed in Northern State wildfire
23/06/2024 – NORTHERN STATE. Fire has ravaged more than 1,000 date palms as well as four fruit orchards of various types in the area between Abri and Tebej, known as “Abri King” in Sudan’s Northern State damaging some nearby houses and causing a prolonged power outage.
 
Sudan humanitarian crisis: Donors urged to honour April 15 Paris pledges
22/06/2024 – KAMPALA. A group of 60 civil society organisations have voiced grave concern about the dire humanitarian situation in Sudan and call on the international community “to urgently meet the financial pledges they made in Paris on April 15 2024”. They further encourage the donor community to consider providing additional funding for humanitarian work.
 
STPT report offers gender-informed perspective on Sudan conflict
20/06/2024 – NEW JERSEY. A newly released report authored by Zeina Badawi for the Sudanese Transparency and Policy Tracker has brought to light the profound and multifaceted impact of Sudan’s ongoing conflict on women.
 
OCHA: ‘Sudan continues to spiral into chaos’
19/06/2024 – NEW YORK. The humanitarian crisis in Sudan continues to spiral into chaos and conditions are relentlessly deteriorating for people in most parts of the country, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned the UN Security Council in New York.
 
Egypt deports more Sudanese, as bureaucracy makes asylum ‘nearly impossible’
18/06/2024 – ASWAN / ARGEEN. Authorities in Aswan, Egypt, have deported hundreds of Sudanese people last Wednesday, sending them back to the Argeen border crossing with Sudan. Entering Egypt legally has proven to be marred by several bureaucratic challenges, seen by some as a deliberate attempt to limit the influx of Sudanese refugees into Egypt.