August 21
SUDAN’S WOMEN LEADERS: EL BURHAN’S DIALOGUE MEANINGLESS
WITHOUT CEASEFIRE. Sudanese women political and human rights leaders
criticized current dialogue, saying any political process not preceded by clear steps to
stop the war, …and ensure genuine participation by civilian forces risks becoming an
attempt to reproduce past political experiences rather than address the roots of the
crisis. …a political process launched without these steps could ultimately fail to address
Sudan’s crisis. Hiba Ahmed, Beja Congress, told Dabanga the current call for political
dialogue was intended to prevent any genuine dialogue….El Burhan was seeking to
consolidate his political position and install himself as president. Ahmed accused the
Islamist movement of designing current dialogue in order to return fully to power and
pursue its political and ideological agenda. She called for adherence to the plan
announced by the Quad in 2025, which links an end to the war with a political
process. …a humanitarian truce leading towards ceasefire, guarantees for delivery of
humanitarian aid and protection of civilians. …Any dialogue that did not clearly address
these issues would not bring the crisis to an end.
Sudanese lawyer, human rights activist and intl law expert Noon Kashkoush said al-
Burhan’s statements on dialogue, guarantees and amnesty represented a pattern repeated
throughout Sudan’s history, in which military and coup governments sought political
legitimacy by launching dialogue initiatives. Kashkoush compared the current initiative
with Al Bashir’s rule as “National Dialogue”…the focus sometimes shifted towards
form and slogans rather substance and fundamental issues. Any political dialogue taking
place while the war continued, without addressing ending the fighting, would remain
“empty of substance.” The priority should be negotiations…to reach a ceasefire and
humanitarian truce before moving to the political stage. The political process should
come later…. Kashkoush described the call for dialogue a media stunt and attempt to
seek political legitimacy. …continued war and absence of a genuine settlement could
push Sudan towards an even more complicated reality, including entrenching divisions
between areas controlled by different forces.
Azza Mohamed Ahmed, Women for Peace & Security, said dialogue was not in principle
unacceptable. It remained necessary and inevitable….it must not be used to serve the
interests of a particular political party. The group includes women from conflict-affected
areas of Darfur, S and W Kordofan, Blue Nile and eastern Sudan. Any serious dialogue
should be preceded by extensive discussions on fundamental issues, foremost ending the
war and guarantees to make any new truce successful, particularly given reservations…
about the outcome of previous truces. She called for an official and clear declaration of
principles before dialogue begins, setting out issues to be discussed and objectives. It
should address questions over whether the fighting can be stopped, terms of any truce
and guarantees required to implement it.
TAKAYA COMMUNITY KITCHEN CLOSURES THREATEN 50,000 FAMILIES IN
CAPITAL. All charitable community kitchens, known as takayas, operating in southern
Khartoum stopped working, causing severe humanitarian deterioration that threatens the
lives of tens of thousands of families and displaced people. Southern Belt Emergency
Comm told Radio Dabanga kitchens stopped operating after the army retook the area,
and external funding and grants…were cut off. The organisations had been providing
meals for 50,000 families. Hundreds have been left without shelter or food….Southern
Belt was experiencing a sharp rise in prices, with the cost of basic goods increasing by
more than 100% while humanitarian assistance was completely absent. Meanwhile,
residents and traders in Khartoum complained of unstable electricity supply and
prolonged power cuts, causing a deepening crisis in daily lives and livelihoods. The
disruptions affected everything from access to drinking water and food storage to
bringing, buying and selling in markets to a standstill. The announcement of the
closures coincides with praise for volunteers on World Humanitarian Day Aug 19. Dr
Salah El Amin, expert in intl humanitarian work: “we have every right to be proud, and
to hold our heads high, in celebrating the young men and women who have taken on
humanitarian work since the outbreak of the war…providing food, clean drinking water,
healthcare, protection, communication and transport to very large numbers of Sudanese
during the war.” El Amin praised the emergency rooms, takayas and all Sudanese local
initiatives. Their work won the admiration and approval of intl organisations, pointing to
the post by UN WFP highlighting these young people who enabled Sudanese to survive
inside the country.
August 20
ONE GEOGRAPHY, TWO STATES: SAUDI ARABIA’S APPROACH TO SUDAN.
The Red Sea….binds every country on its shores to a shared fate with neighbours across
the water. It is through this understanding of geography…that establishing the Saudi-
Sudanese Coordination Council, signed in Riyadh August 17, 2026, should be read. It is
the institutional expression of a firmly held Saudi conviction: stability of unified Sudan
is indispensable to stability of the kingdom. Sudan’s collapse or fragmentation would
inevitably become a Saudi natl security crisis. Saudi Arabia stood by Sudanese people
through every ordeal, including floods and natural disasters, crises and civil wars. It was
this unique historical legacy that made Saudi mediation welcome to both sides when the
war broke out, with Jeddah platform working to ease the conflict and address the
humanitarian crisis. Sources say it is not merely a conventional diplomatic framework,
but a comprehensive institutional platform intended to oversee 10 major strategic areas.
The 10 areas…include Sudan’s reconstruction; agriculture and food security; livestock;
gold and mining; Red Sea and ports; energy and electricity; finance and banking;
industry and food processing; communications and digital transformation; tourism, real
estate and services. These areas constitute an integrated roadmap for turning bilateral
relations into a genuine development partnership, drawing on Saudi Arabia’s investment
and technological capabilities and Sudan’s enormous natural and human resources.
According to the Sudanese foreign min, priorities centre on security, defense and
economy, with Red Sea as an area of strategic cooperation because of its importance.
This is why Sudan joined maritime defense alliance established by Saudi Arabia July 30,
2026. Red Sea security is a shared responsibility that cannot be separated from the
stability of states along its shores.
For more than a decade and a half, the Arab region witnessed a wave of systematic
projects of fragmentation targeting pivotal states Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen and Somalia.
Countries that once played an active role in regional order turned into open arenas of
conflict managed by regional and intl actors through local proxies. With enormous
resources and vital location connecting the Arab world with African interior, Sudan has
always been an ideal target for division. When Saudi Arabia acts to support a path that
preserves unity of the Sudanese state and natl institutions, it contributes to thwarting one
link in this scheme targeting the Arab world as a whole. Sudanese stability is a
collective Arab battle, and Saudi Arabia finds itself in the position of state capable of
leading that battle in defense of collective Arab project that cannot afford to lose another
link.
Sudan occupies a unique position…one of the most important strategic keys: an Arab
state that borders the Red Sea and Nile, connects Horn of Africa with Sahara, Sahel and
Arab hinterland, borders 7 African and Arab countries. This location makes Sudan a
natural bridge between Arab world and Africa, vital maritime gateway on the Red Sea
and strategic water nexus on the Nile. If a state in such a position fragments, it opens a
rupture whose effects extend from Nile Basin to…the Arab peninsula. The states along
the western shore and Red Sea southern approaches including Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti
and Somalia, must be strong, cohesive and capable of exercising full sovereignty over
their coastlines. …strengthening Sudan’s ability to control its coastline is a direct Saudi
investment in security of the Red Sea. At a time when projects of fragmentation are
proliferating, supporting Sudan’s unity, strengthening Saudi strategic depth and
safeguarding Red Sea security are three sides of the same coin. Al Jazeera
SUDAN WILL ANNOUNCE START OF POLITICAL DIALOGUE, Foreign Min
Salem: “There are many contacts taking place…with political parties, women, young
people, civil administration and Sufi orders, and we will announce the start of the
dialogue soon.” Salem said the government was “open to every sincere effort” to
achieve lasting peace…but rejected “partial solutions involving truces, ceasefires and
humanitarian issues. …we have not received a comprehensive initiative with a unified
vision from any of these groups.” Salem criticised intl initiatives,…“experiments by
people who do not want to listen to all sides with transparency and fairness”. …
conferences…“ignore most Sudanese, including displaced people, those returning to
areas controlled by the army and those who support the armed forces”. He accused those
behind the initiatives of insisting on “the narrative imposed on them” and seeking to
impose it on Sudanese people. Middle East Monitor
KORDOFAN HUMANITARIAN CRISIS DESPITE REOPENED SUPPLY ROUTE.
200,000 people newly displaced…due to intensified fighting…drone attacks target critical
water and electricity infrastructure in…el-Obeid. The warning from UN Intl Org for
Migration came…as seasonal flooding in nearby N Darfur compounded the crisis. “The
warning signs are impossible to ignore,” IOM Dir Pope. “Across Sudan, families are
fleeing violence, losing access to water, electricity and healthcare, and now facing the
added burden of destructive floods.” In el-Obeid, drone attacks by RSF on the
main power transformer knocked out electricity needed to pump water, run hospitals and
keep phone lines working. In Blue Nile, 78,000 people fled their homes, while in W
Darfur 18,000 were displaced in the first half of Aug. N Darfur heavy rains in Tawila…
displacing 1,000 families…. “Sudan is one of the world’s largest displacement crises.
The combined impact of conflict, infrastructure damage and flooding is stretching
thousands of families beyond their limits.” The army-held city endured one of the
longest sieges of the war, but RSF “maintains position south and west of the city and
continues attacking nearby villages”,…worsening the humanitarian situation in the
region. El-Obeid had a population of 750,000 before the war, but…reached 3.4 million,
Save the Children….39,000 children arrived in the city in the first 6 months of this year.
SUDAN SEEKS KUWAIT ECONOMIC SUPPORT as war-battered economy deepens
crisis. A high-level delegation led by foreign and finance ministers arrived in Kuwait
delivering a letter from al-Burhan…seeking crucial economic support. Foreign Min,
Finance Min, and Central Bank Gov are holding 3 days of talks with Kuwaiti officials
and Arab development funds. Sudan’s economy has been largely paralyzed since
2023,…wrecking productive sectors, basic infrastructure and commercial banking
channels. Sudanese financial authorities aim to secure development financing and
establish cross-border banking mechanisms to help stabilize trade and fund eventual
reconstruction efforts. Sudan Tribune
318 RSF FIGHTERS DEFECT….including 4 commanders…in latest apparent surrender
by paramilitary personnel. The move comes as defections increase…The group
reportedly arrived with 50 combat vehicles and announced decision to join the armed
forces in Northern State. The latest defection follows reported departure of 300 RSF
personnel including 21 commanders, who joined the army last week. The repeated
defections point to mounting pressure on RSF, which has faced losses among its military
and political leadership. AfricaNews
August 19
HEALTH MIN RECORDED 13,000 CASES OF HIV AND TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF HEPATITIS INFECTIONS…as the war-torn nation faces mounting public health
crises and disease outbreaks. Sudan’s healthcare infrastructure has been devastated by
more than 3 years of conflict…leaving millions vulnerable to preventable illnesses and
acute epidemics. Epidemiological reports showed ongoing cholera infections across W
and N Kordofan, while dengue fever persisted in Blue Nile and S Cordovan….Malaria
rates remained steady across most regions, while Red Sea State continued to treat
patients for heatstroke. Health authorities and rapid response units are coordinating with
UNICEF to dispatch missions across 7 states as season rains August 11-17 damaged
infrastructure in 4 states.
August 18
5,000 PEOPLE DISPLACED BY ATTACKS BY RSF ARRIVED IN DAMAZIN,
CAPITAL OF BLUE NILE STATE, amid dire humanitarian conditions….Sudan Doctors
Network was following “with grave concern” arrival of 5,000 people recently ….
Displaced people face severe shortages of food, medicine and shelter, threatening their
wellbeing and particularly affecting children, women and the elderly. The group warned
heavy rainfall…could aggravate the already dire humanitarian situation and increase
health and environmental risks due to limited resources available. The doctors’ network
urged UN and humanitarian agencies to provide displaced people with food, drinking
water, medical supplies and tents. It stressed the need to ensure humanitarian assistance
reaches those most affected as quickly as possible. IOM stated 5,355 people…had been
displaced from Geissan Aug 12 -15 due to deteriorating security conditions…. MEM
August 17
CAN AU MAKE SUDAN MISSION COUNT? A delegation from AU began 2-day
field visit to Sudan…to push efforts towards ceasefire, improve humanitarian access and
revive a political process to end the war….AU Peace & Sec Council is engaging with
Sudanese authorities.… PSC decided earlier this year to undertake the mission to
contribute to efforts towards lasting peace and stability. SAF’s gains around the capital
changed the military balance, but neither side achieved a decisive victory. That leaves
AU trying to advance diplomacy while both forces still believe they can improve their
positions on the battlefield. PSC’s priorities are closely connected: pushing SAF and
RSF towards ceasefire, improving humanitarian access and preserving a political
process that can determine Sudan’s future beyond the armed groups. AU faces a 2-track
challenge: reducing fighting to allow humanitarian assistance and negotiations, while
ensuring settlement is not simply an agreement between armed factions over power and
territory. The difficulty has been persuading the warring parties to make concessions
when both believe they can gain more on the battlefield. The wider mediation effort
involved IGAD, UN and US and Saudi Arabia….
African-led mediation has succeeded in other crises, but Sudan presents a far harder
challenge. Sudan’s conflict involves 2 heavily armed forces that control territory and
still believe they can improve their positions through force. PSC has diplomatic weight,
but that does not necessarily give it leverage to compel SAF and RSF to stop fighting.
AU lacks “an enforcement mechanism, financial leverage and standby military force” to
pressure the main warring parties. That leaves AU dependent on diplomatic pressure
and coordination with regional and intl actors. Its challenge is to turn political legitimacy
into enough pressure to make negotiations more attractive to SAF and RSF rather than
another offensive. Its significance will depend on whether AU can secure commitments
that survive after the delegation leaves and create enough space for negotiations to move
forward. …the war has produced exhaustion rather than resolution, with both sides
receiving enough internal and external support to continue fighting but not enough to
secure a decisive victory. “AU delegation’s challenge is to convert this battlefield
stalemate into diplomatic momentum before it hardens into a permanent partition of
Sudan.” Al Jazeera
August 10
ARMY CHIEF HOLDS TALKS ON NATIONAL DIALOGUE. Al-Burhan held
unannounced consultations with political and civil groups, resulting in agreement on
steps to create conditions for a dialogue conference…. A majority agreed on practical
steps to create a climate conducive to dialogue including halting negative media
campaigns and suspending criminal charges carrying the death penalty against dozens of
opponents of army-led Transitional Sovereignty Council primarily members of Somoud
Alliance, led by former PM Hamdok. Somoud has been accused of supporting RSF.
Participants…agreed on the need to select a preparatory committee…made up of
independent, widely accepted figures with specialised expertise. The committee would
determine who takes part, the agenda, venue and date, as well as intl and regional parties
to monitor. Al-Burhan held meetings with leaders of political blocs, chiefs of native
admin, Sufi order leaders, independent natl figures, academics, professionals and
resistance committees. The meetings focused on strengthening natl consensus and
reaching an agreed natl project.
The Quintet (UN, AU, EU, IGAD, Arab League) has been attempting to secure
agreement among competing political blocs on proposed natl dialogue…. Its latest
round…failed to bridge differences…. Several political groups including Somoud did not
attend. Somoud accused the Quintet of retreating from understandings previously
reached…. it strayed from the principle of Sudanese ownership of the political
process. …The Quintet called for consultations involving alliances and individuals, some
who “have no presence in the political arena”….most participants represented parties
supportive of the army, which contradicted pledges by the Quad (US, Saudi Arabia,
UAE, Egypt) to launch a political process not dominated by either side. …accused army
leadership of seeking to exploit military developments to launch a “cosmetic political
process”…bolstering legitimacy of its authority, restoring regional and intl recognition,
forming governing institutions…that would grant the army chief broad powers. The
Quintet would continue efforts to advance Sudan’s process through consultations with
civilian forces and stakeholders, seeking to narrow differences….broadening the scope
of consultations and ensuring inclusiveness essential to building trust, establishing
legitimacy and shared understanding that could support a credible, Sudanese-led
political process. …reaffirmed respect for Sudan’s sovereignty, unity and territorial
integrity and rejected parallel governing structures, while calling for de-escalation and
efforts towards negotiated, sustainable peace. Separately, leading figures in NCP which
led Sudan during the rule of al-Bashir…criticised al-Burhan’s announcement that their
party would not be part of the political process. Al Jazeera
August 9
MASS GRAVES FOUND IN KURMUK AFTER TOWN RECAPTURED. Mass
graves containing bodies of 25 civilians including women, children and hospital staff
executed by RSF have been discovered in Blue Nile….The discovery in Kurmuk comes
after similar mass graves were found in Khartoum and Gezira states following recapture
from RSF. Al Faki, commissioner of Kurmuk, said army forces found the graves during
sweeping operations…a month after driving out the paramilitary…. victims were
executed near Jebel Fankat, a hill RSF used as a launchpad for suicide drones during its
assault on the town. RSF seized the strategic border town March 8 in a joint operation
launched from the Ethiopian border alongside SPLM-N al Hilu. Rights monitors and
residents accused RSF of widespread atrocities during its occupation of Kurmuk and
neighbouring areas, including extrajudicial killings, looting and forced displacement.
Kurmuk, which borders Ethiopia, has long been a flashpoint in Sudan’s conflicts,
frequently changing hands between govt forces and rebel groups during decades-long
civil wars. Sudan Tribune
WHY GENOCIDE KEEPS REPEATING IN SUDAN. The lack of intl action after the
atrocities in el-Geneina and el-Fasher has doomed el-Obeid. UN High Comm for Human
Rights declared a red alert…. RSF hit el-Obeid with 27 drone attacks, the highest
monthly total since the start of the conflict. Most targeted fuel depots, water pumps and
electrical grid, making life for 500,000 residents unbearable. Many routes out of the city
have been blocked by RSF. As seasonal rains make roads unpassable, life in the city and
escape could become impossible. The city is facing a scenario played out before in
which US and other global powers repeatedly failed to act. Last year, RSF laid siege to
el-Fasher. 6,000 civilians were killed in days while countless more were tortured, raped,
enslaved or forcibly disappeared.… RSF’s crimes constituted genocide. No serious
action was taken in the aftermath. …as RSF expanded control over Darfur, civilians in
el-Geneina suffered…genocide when the paramilitary blocked humanitarian aid from
entering the city and prevented civilians from fleeing. Blinken declared these atrocities
genocide….it was hoped this label would spark intl response to end the violence before
it spiralled out of control. But history shows how misplaced that hope was.
Concepts like UN Responsibility to Protect emerged, state sovereignty was not
sacrosanct and when a state was unable to protect its citizens or was itself the aggressor,
responsibility to intervene passed to the intl community. And institutions like ICC were
established to ensure perpetrators…would be held to account. Bush used the label
genocide to define mass killing in Darfur. …used as a rallying cry to catalyse global
action in a region few policymakers saw as critical to natl security. 2 decades later, the
crime is once again being repeated across Sudan…. genocides in the plural driving
conflict and calling into question what slogans “Never Again” and “Save Darfur” ever
meant. …20 years, acting to prevent genocide was politicised by failed interventions, like
US-led operation in Libya, and reluctance to act like Obama’s admin, which did not
respond to chemical weapons in the Syria war despite setting it as a red line. Today, US
is directly undermining the principles and structures of intl law to protect against
genocide. Trump admin declared a “full-on diplomatic campaign to dismantle
capabilities of ICC brick by brick if necessary”.
US mediators are courting perpetrators of genocide, RSF, to engage in ceasefire talks
where they could be afforded a share of authority in a future political settlement. Such
outcome might serve the near-term interest of suspending the conflict…but would likely
plant the seed of future conflict. Perhaps the greatest tragedy in Sudan is that, unlike
previous episodes of genocide, no arguments are being made for any Western or intl
coalition to intervene militarily to stop the violence. Nor does any govt share the…belief
“genocide prevention is both a core natl security interest and a core moral
responsibility” as Obama put it. While the country is too large, too wealthy and
geographically important for the region not to fight over its spoils, it remains too distant
and disconnected from core interests for…US and EU to deploy sizeable political capital
in ending human suffering or avoid the country’s possible breakup. Washington allows
friends in Ankara, Cairo, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to sell arms, extract gold and provide
tactical support that enables each side to sustain the conflict. Those same powers lament
efforts of nameless outside enablers of Sudan’s present drama, of which they are all a
part. G7 foreign ministers added to calls to end the conflict, denouncing RSF
bombardment of el-Obeid, calling parties to engage in ceasefire talks and neighbours
and foreign backers to suspend support for the war. But nowhere in this, or in 3 years of
official statements, do leaders suggest they are willing to do more than condemn RSF
abuses. Al Jazeera
August 8
CHOLERA RESURGENCE IN KHARTOUM as health crisis deepens. Sudan Doctors
Union warned of a resurgence of cholera and dengue fever…driven by fighting,
collapsing infrastructure and contaminated water supplies. Doctors Union expressed
concern the diseases could rapidly spread to neighbouring states, given the accumulation
of waste and severe breakdown of environmental sanitation across the war-torn city. Dr
Al-Sayyed, internal medicine and epidemiology specialist, told Reuters 25 new cholera
cases were documented in Khartoum. …urged authorities to take immediate action to
isolate affected zones, improve sanitation and secure medical supplies to prevent a larger
outbreak. Sudan’s health infrastructure has been pushed to the brink of collapse after
months of conflict…leaving millions without reliable access to clean water or primary
medical care. Sudan Tribune
August 7
GREEK AUTHORITIES RESCUED DOZENS OF MIGRANTS, MOST SUDANESE
AND BANGLADESHIS,… Irregular migrant arrivals to southern Crete continued, with
202 migrants reaching the island in 48 hours in successive journeys launched from the
Libyan coast…. a new boat carrying 40 migrants arrived in…Ierapetra after being
detected by aircraft belonging to European Border & Coast Guard Agency. A coastguard
patrol, assisted by a fishing boat, transported passengers to the port, where registration
procedures and identity checks began. The operation came hours after 2 other boats
arrived carrying 112 migrants. All arrivals were transferred to temporary
accommodation centre at Heraklion Port,…as the number of arrivals to the island
increases. Greek authorities announced arrest of a 16-year-old boy holding So Sudanese
nationality suspected of involvement in smuggling 50 migrants…rescued in a previous
operation….allegedly piloted the journey from Tobruk to Greece in exchange for
payments $1,500-$2,000 per migrant. MEM
BESIEGED CITY FACES RELENTLESS DRONE STRIKES AND RISK OF MASS
ATROCITIES, UN warns. Whenever residents of el-Obeid look up at the sky, it is filled
with drones sometimes as many as 40 at a time. The hum of the unmanned aircraft,
which have been conducting deadly strikes on the city for months, has become the
soundtrack to their days. “You might get hit and killed by a drone while you’re asleep at
home, or while on the way to school. You could also get hit by a drone in the market,”
25-year-old resident. Her uncle was killed in a drone strike while going to bury his
neighbor who’d been killed in a drone strike. El-Obeid, capital of N Kordofan, sits
along a strategic corridor in central Sudan…and on the route to the country’s western
Darfur region. Its location has made it a critical battleground. According to data from the
Intl NGO Safety Org, N Kordofan recorded the highest number of drone attacks in 2026.
Drones have been used by both sides. UN experts now warning of a new risk of large-
scale atrocities in el-Obeid, which they say could see a repeat of what happened in
Darfur city el-Fasher last year, when RSF slaughtered 6,000 civilians.
Volker Türk, UN high commissioner for human rights, stressed the need for urgent
action: “It is a red alert that needs to land on the desks of heads of state and govt around
the world. Their phones should be running hot in the coming days and weeks, with ideas
on how to prevent atrocity crimes in el-Obeid and other places in Kordofan.” …el-Obeid,
a city of 500,000 people, RSF is replicating tactics it used in el-Fasher, attacking critical
infrastructure, including water distribution points, causing severe water shortages. That
has left women facing a deadly gamble as they go out to collect water, UN Women E
Africa Dir Mutavati: “Under the perception that darkness offers protection from aerial
attacks, these women and girls have been harassed, raped and subjected to other forms
of sexual violence all while trying to access water,” …a deadly cholera outbreak is
spreading…, with children the worst affected. “Cholera is tearing through certain
communities…compounded by incessant rains and recent drone strikes that crippled
critical medical facilities and left thousands without access to urgent treatment and life-
saving medications,” Plan Intl Sudan Dir Kamal. “The situation facing children is
particularly dangerous. They are far more susceptible to disease, some face the prospect
of recruitment by armed groups, and they are experiencing lasting psychological
trauma.” Sudan researcher Eric Reeves: “There is no likelihood of a military rescue of
el-Obeid.” 100,000 displaced people there are sheltering in camps, and facing extreme
hunger. “Many families are struggling to meet their basic needs in IDP camps,”
Esperanza Santos, emergency coord Doctors Without Borders. Aid funding cuts and
rising diesel and fertilizer costs linked to the broader disruption caused by war in Iran
are worsening the situation, according to WFP distributing food. “At a time when needs
continue to grow, humanitarian resources are shrinking,” Derk Segaar, Intl Fed of Red
Cross & Red Crescent Societies. A group of more than 20 US senators wrote to Rubio
urging him to take steps to prevent mass atrocities: “While we welcome State Dept’s
expression of concern about the escalating situation in el-Obeid, words are not enough,”
signed by Sens Kaine, Sanders and Schiff. “The encirclement and systematic crippling
of resources in el-Obeid increasingly parallels el-Fasher.” The senators urged the
administration to stop selling arms to UAE accused of supporting the RSF. Reeves
agreed such action from the US is critical: “Until UAE is…dissuaded from pursuing its
grotesquely destructive policy in Sudan, we’re going to see this war continue.” Texas
Public Radio
US LAWMAKER CALLED ADMIN TO PAUSE ARMS SALES TO UAE, citing its
continued support for a Sudanese paramilitary group accused of genocide. Sen Van
Hollen…said US must leverage weapons transfers to force Abu Dhabi to stop backing
RSF. Van Hollen, Senate Foreign Relations Comm, noted the US govt formally
determined the murderous RSF is committing genocide….He highlighted mass atrocities
in El Fasher, where the paramilitary killed…6,000 people over 3 days, warning that a
similar catastrophe is mounting around besieged El Obeid. 500,000 people in El Obeid
currently face severe risk as paramilitary forces surround the municipality….20
colleagues urged Rubio and Trump admin to condition military sales to the Gulf nation
on a complete halt to its support for the paramilitary. …they requested Rubio make it
clear they will “pause US arms sales to UAE so long as they are arming this murderous,
genocidal group, the RSF. It’s a simple thing we, the US, can do to prevent a massacre in
Sudan.” Washington remains one of the primary suppliers of defense equipment to
UAE, while Abu Dhabi consistently faced intl criticism over its military and financial
backing of RSF. Sudan Tribune
August 6
200 ANCIENT PYRAMIDS IMPERILLED BY ESCALATING WAR AND NEGLECT.
Sudan’s war is endangering the ancient pyramids of Meroe, UNESCO World Heritage
Site, as fighting and lack of security brought all preservation work to a halt and left the
fragile structures exposed to the elements. “The site may face a disaster, and collapses
are possible,” archaeologist Mahmoud Suleiman, warning the 3-year conflict prevented
experts from carrying out basic maintenance. Located 125 mi north of Khartoum, Meroe
is home to 200 narrow, steep-sided pyramids built 800 BC-350 AD as tombs for rulers of
the Kingdom of Kush. Guards said windblown sand and encroaching vegetation are
accelerating decay. “The sand has thickened heavily on the pyramids and even inside the
temples, and the grass grows thick. The pyramids have deteriorated greatly and stones
have begun to fall.” Antiquities insp Mubarak said salt released from accumulated sand
is attacking inherently fragile stones, eroding ancient inscriptions….climate change,
dispersal of archaeological workforce and halt of foreign missions all contributed to
significant deterioration. UNESCO warned that 100 cultural sites have been damaged
and 22 museums looted or destroyed since the war began in 2023.
August 3
35 PEOPLE KILLED IN ARMY DRONE STRIKE ON CIVIL COURT….Emergency
Lawyers… said…drones targeted hqs of civil court in Al-Zawiya Gara, N Darfur “a
civilian facility that plays a judicial and social role in the region. Directing attacks
against civilians and civilian objects constitutes a grave violation of international
humanitarian law”. Drone warfare has become a signature in the country’s battle, with
both sides carrying out strikes. It is now the leading cause of death in Sudan, according
to the UN, accounting for 80% of civilian deaths during the first 4 months of 2026. The
army did not respond to requests for comment. Al Arabiya
6 SUDANESE POLICE OFFICERS SENTENCED TO DEATH OVER DETAINEE’S
TORTURE DEATH. A court sentenced police officers to death by hanging after
convicting them of torturing a detainee to death inside a detention centre in Dongola,
Northern State. …court relied on evidence showing officers assaulted and tortured a
detainee inside police investigations detention centre causing his death. The court
convicted the officers under Sudan’s 1991 Criminal Code, amended in 2020. A lawyer
specialising in human rights described the ruling as a victory for justice and a positive
sign for Sudan’s judiciary. The lawyer said the case highlights unlawful practices inside
police facilities and involvement of senior officers in abuses against detainees. He called
on police leadership to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to torture and ill-treatment and
strengthen oversight of detention facilities. He urged authorities to train police officers
on human rights, intl treaties and laws governing detainees’ rights and their treatment in
custody. Dabanga
POLITICAL FORCES DIVERGE OVER QUINTET EFFORT TO LAUNCH
POLITICAL PROCESS ENDING THE WAR….The consultations in Addis Ababa
brought together US, UN, IGAD, Arab League and EU. The participating groups held
meetings with UN envoy and EU advisers, where they outlined their conditions for a
peace process. Their positions focused on the military situation on the ground, calling
for political dialogue into Sudan once conditions allow. They stressed the need to
address security, prevent external support for armed groups and distinguish between
state institutions and rebel forces. The discussions exposed differences over priorities.
Intl actors focused on humanitarian truces and securing rapid access for aid, while
Sudanese blocs argued that security and stable civilian life must come first. They linked
the return of displaced people and refugees to disarmament and withdrawal of RSF from
civilian areas. Some participants called on the intl community to classify RSF a terrorist
organisation, halt restrictions affecting natl resources such as gold export, and ensure
women, young people and community groups have a role in shaping Sudan’s political
future. Dabanga