Sudan

Systematic rape and sexual violence are being used as weapons of war in Darfur, the International Criminal Court (ICC) warned on Thursday, as part of a widening investigation into what its Deputy Prosecutor said are escalating atrocities against civilians in the conflict-ridden region.

Gulf state actors are expanding their engagements in critical infrastructure, ports, and the security sector in East Africa as they seek opportunities and compete for influence—reshaping the investment and political contours of the region.

UN humanitarians on Monday sounded the alarm over the worsening conditions in Sudan, as violence continues, and food and water remain at critically low levels. The situation is particularly dire in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, which has witnessed some of the worst episodes of the ongoing conflict between rival militaries.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied troops have placed Sudan’s northern border region near Egypt on high alert, as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) make significant advances after seizing control of the strategic border triangle with Libya and Egypt.

The United States and the United Nations are launching separate diplomatic initiatives to end the war in Sudan, officials said, reflecting intensifying international urgency to resolve the conflict. An advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington would soon host a four-nation meeting of foreign ministers, while the U.N. said its envoy was finalising plans for talks in Ethiopia with the African Union.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied groups on Tuesday formalized a new governing coalition, appointing RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemetti, as its leader and rebel leader Abdelaziz Adam al-Hilu as his deputy. The announcement, made at a press conference in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, marks a step toward establishing a parallel administration in RSF-held territories after more than a year of war with Sudan’s army.

[…] The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have rejected a proposed humanitarian truce in El Fasher, accusing the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) of initiating the conflict and using ceasefire talks to resupply their troops. 

Sudan’s army-backed government accused Kenya Tuesday of funneling weapons from the United Arab Emirates to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, at war with the regular army since April 2023. … The army and RSF have traded accusations for months of receiving arms from foreign powers, including the UAE, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, and Russia.

[…] The attack on al-Mujlad hospital in West Kordofan happened on Saturday close to the frontline between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Hostilities continue to escalate across Sudan’s North Darfur and Kordofan regions, with reports of civilian casualties, sexual violence, abductions and looting, the UN human rights chief warned on Friday, describing the consequences as disastrous. … Following a year-long siege, the RSF launched a renewed assault on the displacement camps around El Fasher on Monday, after months of intensified mobilisation, including the recruitment of children across Darfur.