The International Crisis Group posted on 12 October 2026 a commentary titled "Pulling Ethiopia and Eritrea Back from War."
As Ethiopia and Eritrea slide closer to war, the International Crisis Group urges regional governments and those further away to press both sides to avoid escalation. It also seeks more engagement by the UN Security Council.
Foreign Policy published on 21 September 2026 an article titled "How to Bring Peace to Sudan" by Abdalfatah Alburhan, president of Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council.
The author does not agree that the conflict in Sudan is a civil war. Rather, he described it as "an assault on a United Nations member state by a paramilitary group." He argues that peace in Sudan must be homemade--by Sudanese, for Sudanese, in Sudan. Peace dictated from outside will not last, although credible outside monitors can add legitimacy. He adds that his government offers a plan for peace, which has been submitted to the UN Security Council.
Reuters published on 18 September 2026 an article titled "US Gives UN More Time to End Support for Somalia Peacekeepers" by Faisal Ali and Ammu Kannampilly.
The United States has agreed to give the United Nations another year beginning in January 2027 to wind down its funding for the African Union peacekeeping operation in Somalia. The US had earlier said it would not support UN funding after the end of 2026.
The UN Human Rights Council published on 1 September 2026 a report of the independent international fact-finding mission for Sudan titled "Fuelling Sudan's Conflict: Weapons, Fighters, and External Support Networks."
This is the most detailed UN report so far detailing external support for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). It discusses Columbian mercenaries supporting the RSF, including the launching of drones, and the assistance of individuals and entities in the UAE. It also identifies support received by the RSF from individuals or entities in Libya, Chad, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Puntland in Somalia. It identifies less external support for the SAF but notes the use of drones manufactured in Turkey.
It concludes that external support is sustaining military operations and expanding the capabilities of both the RSF and SAF, with grave consequences for civilians. Increasingly sophisticated drone capabilities enabled both sides to strike far beyond immediate front lines. The report called for the Security Council to extend the arms embargo now imposed on Darfur throughout Sudan.
Business Insider Africa published on 26 August 2026 an article titled "Russia and China Push Back as Trump Administration Seeks Arms Embargo Across Sudan" by Ayodeji Adegboyega.
The Trump administration is seeking to expand a two-decade-old UN arms embargo on Darfur to all of Sudan and to explicitly cover drones. China, Russia, and the Sudan Armed Forces faction all oppose the initiative.
The International Crisis Group posted on 18 August 2026 an hour-long podcast titled "Sudan's Separation Fifteen Years Ago and Today's Disaster" with Alan Boswell, Alex de Waal, and Abdul Mohammed.
Alex de Waal and Abdul Mohammed review the background of South Sudan's independence from Sudan and the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki. They explained why negotiations ultimately failed to produce two viable states, and whether such coordinated high-level diplomacy is still possible in today's fragmented regional geopolitics.
Efforts to resolve the crises in Sudan and South Sudan today are experiencing greater involvement from the Gulf States and involve a larger number of competing actors. Mediation today is extremely difficult. The global environment is highly transactional. The situation also has the possibility of becoming a regional war. It is time for the African Union to step forward and play a stronger role in ending the conflicts.
The Stimson Center published on 24 June 2026 a report titled "The UN Mission in South Sudan in the Context of Changing Security and Regional Dynamics."
The report concludes that the combined effects of a fragile peace process, heightened political tensions, economic deterioration, the spillover of conflict from Sudan, the emerging Ebola crisis in the neighboring DRC, and growing humanitarian pressures have created a volatile environment in South Sudan.
South Sudan continues to grapple with unresolved questions surrounding the political transition and the lack of implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), which remains the primary political framework for addressing the conflict and advancing sustainable peace.
The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies published in April 2026 a study titled "Somalia's Mandate in the UN Security Council 2025-2026."
The study provides a comprehensive assessment of Somalia's performance during its non-permanent term in 2025-2026 on the UN Security Council. It evaluates Somalia's institutional capacity, diplomatic engagement, and strategic positioning within the Council. The study also identifies key gaps and offers practical recommendations to strengthen Somalia's diplomatic effectiveness.
The Associated Press published on 25 February 2026 an article titled "UN Sanctions 4 Commanders in Sudan's Paramilitary Force Accused of Atrocities in Sudan" by Edith M. Lederer."
The UN Security Council imposed sanctions on 4 commanders of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces suspected of atrocities against civilians. They face UN travel bans and financial freezes.
The ChinaMed Project published on 30 January 2026 an analysis titled "China and the Libyan Crisis: Maintaining a Foot in the Door in a Changing Region" by Bianca Pasquier and Leonardo Bruni.
This paper revisits the past decade of Chinese engagement in Libya, tracing Beijing's evolving relations with the country's factions and situating them within a regional context. It concludes that China is unlikely to engage deeply in Libya's power struggles. Beijing will likely keep its options open, be present but uncommitted.
The ChinaMed Project published on 1 December 2025 an article titled "From Geoeconomics to a Chinese Diplomatic Shift on the Western Sahara? Moroccan Press Coverage of FM Bourita's Visit to Beijing" by Imane Ezzehouany.
In October, China abstained on a UN Security Council vote that endorses Morocco's 2007 Autonomy Project for the Western Sahara. Morocco interpreted Beijing's vote as a diplomatic victory. China has consistently refused to recognize either side's claim over the disputed territory. This nuanced political change follows expanding economic ties between China and Morocco.
The UN Political and Peace Building Affairs Department posted on 5 November 2025 the remarks by special envoy of the Secretary General for the Horn of Africa Guang Cong to the UN Security Council on Sudan and South Sudan.
The civil war in Sudan is exacerbating the humanitarian situation in the disputed region of Abyei along the Sudan-South Sudan border and has interrupted negotiations for a settlement. There are recent indications that both Sudan and South Sudan are willing to revive the African Union-led political process regarding Abyei's future.
The Associated Press published on 4 November 2025 an article titled "UN Secretary General Says Sudan's War Is "Spiraling Out of Control'" by Jan Gambrell.
Just since the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, last week, an additional 71,000 Sudanese have been displaced and hundreds of civilians killed. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres decried the worsening situation and said external powers must stop sending arms into Sudan.
Comment: For more than two years, the United Nations has been unable to impose any kind of meaningful response in Sudan because the UN Security Council is unable to agree on a course of action.
The UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs posted on 30 October 2025 remarks to the UN Security Council titled "'No One Is Safe in El Fasher': ASG Pobee Urges Collective International Efforts to End War in Sudan" by UN Assistant Secretary General for Africa, Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee
Pobee called on the UN Security Council to take decisive action on ending the conflict in Sudan, something it has failed to do for more than two years. She emphasized that unnamed "external support is enabling the conflict. Weapons and fighters continue to flow into Sudan contributing to the already desperate situation." The UN Security Council needs to pressure the enablers to end their support.
The Sentry published in June 2025 a report titled "Power and Plunder: The Eritrean Defense Forces Intervention in Tigray."
The war in Ethiopia's Tigray Region resulted in a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions. War crimes were perpetrated by all parties to the conflict, but the nature of atrocities and war profiteering carried out by the Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF) was unmatched in scale and premeditation. The EDF engaged in massacres, widespread sexual violence, and systematic looting, including of Tigrayan factory machinery, medical supplies and equipment, and cultural antiquities.
The International Crisis Group posted on 18 August 2025 remarks titled "Briefing to UN Security Council on the Situation in South Sudan" by Murithi Mutiga.
The 2018 peace accord, which ended a civil war in South Sudan, appears to be collapsing and the ongoing civil war in neighboring Sudan is extending instability by driving over 1.2 million people into South Sudan.
UN News posted on 10 July 2025 an article titled "International Criminal Court: War Crimes, Systematic Sexual Violence Ongoing in Darfur" by Vibhu Mishra.
The International Criminal Court told the UN Security Council that it has reasonable grounds to believe that both war crimes and crimes against humanity continue to be committed in the Darfur region of Sudan where there is a deepening conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Sexual violence directed against women and girls is one of the most disturbing patterns.
The Sentry published in June 2025 an extensive report titled "Power and Plunder: The Eritrean Defense Forces Intervention in Tigray."
This account documents Eritrean Defense Force support for the Ethiopian National Defense Force in their joint war to topple the Tigrayan Defense Force in Tigray Region from late 2020 until the signing of the Pretoria Agreement in 2022. The study concludes that Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has emerged as the clear winner of the post-conflict status quo.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) posted on 6 May 2025 a commentary titled "UN Readies for Critical Vote on South Sudan's Arms Embargo" by Maya Ungar.
The UN Security Council will vote in late May on whether to renew the arms embargo on South Sudan for 12 months. Even as the internal security situation deteriorates, the South Sudan government opposes the embargo. The ICG argues that removing the arms embargo now could stoke escalating violence in South Sudan.
The International Crisis Group published on 28 April 2025 a paper titled "The Stakes of Stripping Climate from UN Peacekeeping in South Sudan" by Nazanine Moshiri.
The UN Security Council will soon vote on the future of the peacekeeping mission in conflict-impacted South Sudan. The paper discusses what is at stake and why climate and peace should remain part of the mission's work.
