• A new defection in the Rapid Support Forces: Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Azraq Al-Fanjari, the RSF's special operations commander, announced in a video clip his defection and his siding with the Sudanese Armed Forces, together with around 300 officers and soldiers and 30 combat vehicles, and he apologised to Sudanese families for the violations of the war and called on his comrades to lay down fighting. (Source: Masr Al-Youm masralyoum.net, citing Okaz newspaper — the figures have not been independently verified so far)
• An upcoming visit by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission: Foreign Minister Mohi El-Din Salem revealed in an interview with SUNA arrangements for a visit by Mahmoud Ali Youssouf to Sudan soon to discuss ending the suspension of membership, noting that Al-Burhan raised the issue with the current Chair of the Union, the President of Burundi, two days ago. (Source: Saqr Al-Jidyan saqraljidyanews.com, citing SUNA)
• The dialogue preparation committee continues its consultations: the Committee for Preparing the Climate for the Sudanese-Sudanese Dialogue held a meeting with leaders of the Democratic Bloc at the Al Salam Hotel in Khartoum, and the committee's spokesman Othman Mirghani described the meeting as fruitful, stressing that the upcoming dialogue will include various states and will exclude no national component; the committee also met a Swiss diplomat to discuss efforts to prepare for the dialogue. (Source: Nabd Al-Sudan nabdsudan.net / Sudan Tomorrow sudantomorrow.com)
• Blue Nile developments: after yesterday's drone attacks on civilian objects in Damazin, citizens buried the martyrs of the attacks, and the region's governor vowed against the Rapid Support Forces, saying "the region will not break and will remain an impregnable bulwark," calling on citizens to rally around the Armed Forces. (Source: Headlines of the Day khartoumsport.com)
• West Kordofan governor: the Armed Forces are on the starting line to liberate the state. (Source: Headlines of the Day khartoumsport.com)
• Saudi support for health: the Minister of Health launched the Saudi health support in a number of states, and the medical supplies received oxygen stations and modern medical equipment from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre. (Source: Headlines of the Day khartoumsport.com)
• Cholera in Sudan: a new report tracks the outbreak of the epidemic, which follows the trail of the war and the paths of the conflict. (Source: Sudan Tomorrow sudantomorrow.com)
• South Sudan — the special court adjourned the trial session of former First Vice President Riek Machar to this morning, Thursday, October 8, to hear the expert's testimony and continue examining the evidence, after Monday's session at which the prosecution presented an autopsy report and death certificates; on October 7 Machar gave his first defence testimony, accusing the court of issuing "politically motivated" rulings — the outcome of today's session has not yet been announced. (Source: Standard Zone News / Eye Radio)
• The World Food Programme condemned the forcing of a relief convoy to unload 162.54 metric tons of aid (enough for 4,400 people for three months) under duress in Chuelbong, Ayod County, Jonglei, after armed youth attacked two aid workers and threatened them at gunpoint on September 29; the rest of the team and 291.48 tons returned safely to Malakal on October 2, and the Programme called on all parties to respect international humanitarian law. (Source: World Food Programme statement, October 5, via ReliefWeb)
• Conflicting accounts over the Wunkur clashes in Upper Nile: army spokesman Major General Lul Ruai Koang said the army repelled repeated attacks by the SPLA-IO on October 3 and 4, killed 13 attackers, captured one wounded man and recovered weapons, stressing that it retains control of the area; by contrast, the opposition announced that it had seized Wunkur — and neither account has been verified. (Source: The Radio Community / Radio Tamazuj)
• Kenyan President Ruto pledged his country's support for South Sudan's preparations for the December elections and urged the leaders to dialogue and consensus, during his meeting with Salva Kiir in Nairobi on Monday — Kiir's first foreign visit since dissolving the national unity government and forming a caretaker government; the agenda included crude oil supplies for the planned Lamu refinery as a strategic alternative to the pipeline through Sudan that the war has disrupted. (Source: Capital FM Kenya)
• On the occasion of World Teachers' Day: Sudanese teachers say the war has disrupted education and that wages barely cover a gas cylinder or daily transport, pushing many to second jobs; and curriculum specialist Ali Saeed (a leader in the Popular Education Initiative) said: "No school without a teacher," demanding greater support from the state and the highest wages for teachers. (Source: Radio Dabanga)
• Headlines of today's issue: the end of the dialogue round and the anticipation of voter registration for the December 22 elections remain suspended; and a data analysis shows that only 11% of assessed health facilities were classified as "high efficiency." (Source: South Sudan Press — Thursday, October 8 issue)
— Editorial Team