Situation in Sudan (per 3 May)

• The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed to a seven-day ceasefire from 4 to 11 May, according to a press release by the South Sudan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• South Sudan states that both parties have agreed to name their representatives for peace talks, but no location or date for the talks has been set.
• Witnesses stated that air raids and shooting continued in Khartoum on Tuesday and today. 
• At least four civilians, including one child, were killed in a strike on a hospital in north Khartoum.
• The Sudanese ministry of health reported 550 civilian deaths and 4,926 injured in the fighting.
• The World Health Organization warns many civilians will die due to the fighting, as well as lack of essential services and disease outbreaks. The price of basic commodities has risen by 40-60% or more.
• Civil resistance committees in Sudan are attempting to help people, who are trapped, to obtain resources and water. They also assist in the identification and burial of bodies.
• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) states that two-thirds of the fighting has been taking place in densely populated areas. 
• Access to water is a key humanitarian issue, due to damaging of water supplies, purifying equipment and lack of fuel to transport water to camps for refugees and displaced people.
• Two-thirds of the hospitals remain nonfunctional and medical supplies are critically low.
• 80 metric tonnes of medical aid is in Port Sudan awaiting clearance, says the WHO.
• Six trucks of humanitarian supplies were looted, stated UN aid chief Martin Griffiths.
• A Tigrinya-language message is circulating which states that Germany will accept Eritrean refugees stuck in Sudan or Saudi Arabia. The message encourages people to seek assistance at the German embassy.
• The message is thought to be a misunderstanding and probably refers to information that concerns only Eritreans with German citizenship or a permanent status. The German embassy in Sudan is closed. 
• Analysts state that the international community should put pressure on the fighting parties by implementing targeted sanctions that focus on stopping the flow of finances to the RSF and SAF.
• SAF and other militias have been violating human rights in the context of war in the peripheries of Sudan for years with impunity, states the Horn of Africa Civil Society Forum (HoACSF). Now that fighting has converged in the centre of Sudan.
• Sudanese people from marginalised areas were left with little choice but to join such armed forces, states the HoACSF. It states that regardless of the war’s outcome, the legacies of the Darfur war and other conflicts in Sudan, will need to be dealt with.

Situation in Ethiopia (per 3 May)

• Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) deployed a large number of troops in the North Shewa Zone of the Amhara region. Local reports state that the ENDF is in control of all major towns along the road from Dessie to Bahir Dar. 
• There are reports about intensive fighting going on between ENDF and the Fano militia. Fano forces are said to be withdrawing to more remote areas.
• An ENDF commander stated that it is difficult to identify Fano fighters because the Ethiopian government distributed large numbers of arms in Amhara during the war against Tigray. As a result, all adults have been armed in Amhara, stated the commander.
• Former regional security forces in the Gambela region in Ethiopia were called up for military training in the context of their integration into the ENDF. However, ENDF had no uniforms or shoes available for the troops, report sources.
• The people of Gambela were called upon to donate shoes and clothing.
• The first round of peace talks in Tanzania between the Ethiopian Federal Government and the Oromo Liberation Army has finished.
• Ambassador Redwan Hussien states no agreement was reached, but called the talks “largely constructive.” He states that both parties have agreed to continue the talks. 

Situation of refugees (per 3 May)

• More than 100.000 people have fled Sudan, states the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Most have fled to Egypt, Chad and South Sudan. 334.000 people are estimated to have been internally displaced. 
• UNHCR estimates that the number of refugees from Sudan may rise to over 800.000. 

International Situation (per 3 May)

• Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki met with UNDP Administrator and Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG), Achim Steiner, yesterday, according to Eritrean state media. 
• UNSG Antonio Guterres reportedly had a letter delivered upon the visit, stating the UN would like to strengthen relations with Eritrea.
• Observers note that the UN is assigning too much importance to Eritrea through the meeting and the letter, and that this will make Isaias view the institution as weak.
• UN relief chief Martin Griffiths arrived in Port Sudan today. 
• The UN Security Council (UNSC) forecast for May shows that the UNSC will hold a briefing and consultations on the situation in Sudan, particularly on the role of UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) in reaching a sustainable ceasefire.
• The mandate of UNITAMS is set to expire on 3 June. 
• In May, the UNSC will also vote on a draft resolution to renew the sanctions regime in South Sudan, and it will hear a briefing from ICC Prosecutor Karim Asad Ahmad Khan on Libya.
• The EU allocates €22 million in new humanitarian aid to Ethiopia to address food insecurity, access to healthcare and education.
• The government of Somalia and the EU have launched a joint operational roadmap on areas of cooperation for the next two years. 
• The roadmap focuses on socio-economic growth, inclusive politics and democratisation, and security and stability.