Ayin network – شبكة عاين

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8 September 2026

To keep our readers informed of the multitude of events taking place in Sudan amidst the ongoing, devastating war, we have developed a series of weekly news briefs covering major topics of the week.

In this week’s edition:

Severe drought and conflict threaten Sudan’s agricultural season
International ‘Quintet’ headed to Khartoum in fresh push for Sudanese peace
Sudanese government intervenes as bread prices skyrocket
The army controls Hamrat al-Waz and bombs Dilling
ICC begins hearing on reparations for victims of Darfur commander ‘Ali Kushayb’
Over 36 bird species return to war-damaged acacia forest in post-war survey

1) Severe drought and conflict threaten Sudan’s agricultural season

A prolonged lack of rainfall across Sudan’s Darfur and Kordofan regions has triggered widespread crop failure and livestock deaths, dramatically worsening a food crisis already heightened by ongoing conflict and economic collapse.

Farmers in West Kordofan, East Darfur, and North Darfur told Ayin that rainfall cutoffs exceeded a month. The prolonged dry spell has devastated fields of rain-fed staple crops—including millet, peanuts, and okra—with local sources indicating that many crops can no longer recover even if rain returns. The loss of harvest is forcing rural populations away from self-sufficiency and into market reliance at a time when war has disrupted supply lines, caused severe goods shortages, and devalued the Sudanese pound.

Devastation has extended to the region’s pastoral sector. Declining pastures and scarce water sources have weakened livestock, leading to animal deaths and stripping families of a critical source of food and income. The Forces for Radical Change—a coalition of Sudanese political parties, civil society organisations, and trade unions—highlighted that agricultural production is severely crippled by electricity, fuel, and irrigation shortages, as well as high input costs. The coalition called for an immediate declaration of an agricultural emergency plan to repair irrigation facilities, reduce fees, and secure preparations for the winter season.

In response to the compounding disaster, Mohamed Hassan Al-Ta’aishi, Prime Minister of the Tas’is (“Foundation”) government in the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controlled areas, sent an urgent letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres warning of widespread famine. Al-Ta’aishi urged early, coordinated international action, cautioning that deteriorating climate, productivity, and humanitarian indicators in Sudan threaten to spill over into neighbouring countries. Joint statements from local advocacy organisations echoed these concerns, warning that failure to intervene proactively will plunge millions deeper into severe hunger in the coming months.

2) International ‘Quintet’ headed to Khartoum in fresh push for Sudanese peace

A high-level international coalition known as the Quintet—comprising the African Union, IGAD, the Arab League, the European Union, and the United Nations—will visit Khartoum next week for direct political consultations aimed at restoring Sudan’s path toward a democratic civilian government.

Scheduled from Tuesday to Thursday, the three-day mission will assess the political and security situation on the ground while sharing the group’s strategic vision for a unified mediation framework. The Quintet confirmed it is coordinating closely with the Quartet Dialogue Group (the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates) to align international efforts to resolve the conflict.

The diplomatic initiative follows a series of engagements by Pekka Haavisto, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy to Sudan, who recently concluded talks in Khartoum with Sovereignty Council Chairman Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minawi, and Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim. Haavisto urged immediate military de-escalation, civilian protection, and prisoner exchanges. He also held phone discussions with Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Lt-Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to address pressing humanitarian access.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed Haavisto will join the Quintet in Khartoum to facilitate upcoming talks. However, significant friction remains: anti-war Sudanese political factions recently told Haavisto during Nairobi consultations that they reject internal dialogue proposed by the military leadership while hostilities persist. These factions argue that holding talks amidst ongoing fighting risks partitioning the country, insisting instead that a verified ceasefire and unrestricted aid delivery must take priority over formal political negotiations.

3) Sudanese government intervenes as bread prices skyrocket

A sharp depreciation of the Sudanese pound on the black market has triggered a severe spike in bread prices across Sudan, forcing state authorities to step in with emergency price-control measures as families struggle to afford basic staples.

Following a 25% price increase on flour by commercial mills, bakeries in several states raised individual loaf prices to 400 Sudanese pounds. In Northern State, prices surged to 2,000 pounds for four loaves. To curb further spikes, the Ministry of Industry and Trade reached an agreement with grain millers to cap 25-kilogram bags of flour at 87,000 pounds starting 7 September. Meanwhile, Khartoum State officials rushed to hold local prices temporarily at four pieces for 1,000 pounds.

The price shock has placed immense financial strain on households. In Dongola, local residents report that a typical family’s monthly bread expenditure now tops 700,000 pounds ($100 USD)—more than double the standard public sector wage of 300,000 pounds ($40 USD). To adapt, many households are abandoning commercial bakeries to buy flour directly from local markets and bake at home.

Humanitarian workers in Khartoum warn that the crisis threatens to deprive thousands of children of basic meals ahead of the upcoming school year. While government interventions aim to cushion consumers, civil society leaders stress that local price caps offer only temporary relief so long as the underlying currency crisis remains unchecked.

4) The army controls Hamrat al-Waz and bombs Dilling

The Sudanese army and allied joint forces have taken control of Hamrat al-Waz in North Kordofan, marking the latest field advance in the region, while renewed artillery shelling in the South Kordofan town of Dilling has left at least three civilians dead.

Special Operations commander Malik Yahya, known as “Al-Buruf”, confirmed the capture outside the local police headquarters following the expulsion of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A vital agricultural trade and transit hub connecting eastern, central, and western Sudan, Hamrat al-Waz had been under RSF control since the conflict began over three years ago. Published footage showed no active combat, suggesting RSF troops withdrew prior to the government forces’ arrival. The retreat follows a series of recent RSF losses across North Kordofan, including Bara and the local headquarters of Jebra al-Sheikh. The RSF has not officially commented on the loss.

Meanwhile, in government-controlled Dilling, artillery strikes on Thursday and Friday killed at least three people. Local sources report that the town faces severe security and humanitarian deterioration under an ongoing siege and repeated bombardments from the RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), both members of the Tas’is (“Foundation”) coalition in the RSF-controlled areas of the country.

Fighting across North and South Kordofan has escalated significantly since late July, with both sides manoeuvring to secure strategic transport corridors linking central and western Sudan.

5) ICC begins hearing on reparations for victims of Darfur commander ‘Ali Kushayb’

The International Criminal Court (ICC) held a public hearing Tuesday to determine reparations for victims of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-al-Rahman, the former Sudanese militia leader known as “Ali Kushayb.” The session marks a crucial step toward redress more than two decades after war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed in Darfur.

The Chamber heard pleadings from victim representatives, the prosecution, defence counsel, the ICC Registry, and the Victims’ Trust Fund. Lawyer Abdul Basit Mohammed, representing Sudan’s General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugee Camps, pressed the court to establish full financial accountability for Kushayb and other indicted Sudanese leaders, while formally recognising the legal right of the displaced Fur people to return to their lands.

While the ICC lacks direct authority to enforce land restitution, its final order on reparations will establish official legal claims regarding displacement, return, and accountability. Compensation may be awarded individually or collectively, offering both financial and symbolic redress funded partly through the court’s Victims’ Trust Fund.

The proceedings follow Kushayb’s October 2025 conviction on 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out between August 2003 and April 2004, which resulted in a 20-year prison sentence handed down in December 2025. Both the defence and prosecution appeals remain pending.

Judges did not issue a ruling on Tuesday, using the session to gather positions before entering deliberations to deliver a decision at a later date.

Over 36 bird species return to war-damaged acacia forest in post-war survey

In the first documented field activity since the outbreak of war in Sudan, environmentalists have recorded more than 36 species of resident and migratory birds within Khartoum’s Acacia Forest and its adjacent islands.

The joint observation initiative, conducted by the Sudanese Birdwatching Club alongside the National Forestry Corporation, marks a crucial first step in assessing the capital’s ecological recovery. Situated near the confluence of the White and Blue Niles in the Al-Mograin area, the reserve serves as one of Khartoum’s most significant nature reserves, despite enduring severe combat damage and illegal logging during the conflict.

Birdwatching club member Mohammed Youssef Al-Fatayabi noted that the majority of the birds gathered around the central lake and surrounding small islands, coinciding with the start of the annual migration season along the Nile corridor. The recorded wildlife includes waterfowl, birds of prey, and songbirds, with migratory species using the forest as a vital resting stop forming the largest proportion alongside a population of resident birds.

Awad Siddiq, head of the Sudanese Birdwatching Club, called the presence of 36 species a promising early sign of available food and security. However, he cautioned that confirming a complete ecological recovery requires year-round monitoring to observe nest-building and long-term settlement behaviours.

To protect the returning wildlife, the National Forestry Corporation has deployed guard teams to curb ongoing logging and overgrazing. Siddiq stressed the importance of expanding “citizen science” partnerships between photographers and researchers to map environmental data, while advocating for immediate protections, including hunting bans, community outreach, power line safeguards, and site cleanup campaigns.