Tuesday, October 27, 2026

📍 From the Field In Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, a medical source at Nyala Hospital told Agence France-Presse that a drone strike targeted a market in the north of the city on Monday evening at around eight o'clock, resulting in the killing of 21 people and the injury of more than 40 others, while a resident told the agency that the market was crowded at the time of the strike. Agence France-Presse reported, and Al Jazeera reported from it, that Nyala has been subjected to repeated strikes since the outbreak of the war, and that the escalation in the use of drones exacerbates the danger to markets and residential neighbourhoods.

In El Fasher, Amnesty International reported in an update published in October, based on 25 civilians it met in August and September, including 19 residents of the city and six humanitarian workers, that 17 of the residents had been subjected to detention, and that former detainees described beating, torture and deprivation of food, water and treatment, and that schools had been used as detention and surveillance centres. The organisation added, quoting humanitarian organisations working in the city, that the number of people in El Fasher had fallen to less than 70,000 compared with more than one million before the war, and that humanitarian access remained limited and the risks of arbitrary detention high.

The UN Office for Human Rights said that drone strikes had documented the killing of at least 306 people and the injury of hundreds of others in the first three weeks of October in Kordofan, Darfur, Blue Nile, Khartoum and other states, and that they had hit homes, markets, hospitals, displacement sites, power stations and water sources. OCHA also said in a United Nations briefing on October 22 that a strike in Al-Tina locality in North Darfur killed five civilians, including two workers in community emergency rooms, and that hostilities are raising fuel prices in parts of Kordofan and Darfur, threatening a rise in the prices of basic goods.

1️⃣ One year since the fall of El Fasher: new testimonies, British sanctions and a UN call to stop the war Sudanese marked the first anniversary of the fall of El Fasher on October 26, 2025, after an 18-month siege, while Amnesty International said civilians still face unlawful killing, detention and torture, and its Secretary General Agnès Callamard said the Rapid Support Forces' claim that the city is safe for return is far from the truth. Britain on Monday imposed sanctions including asset freezes and travel bans on 15 senior commanders from the Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces on suspicion of involvement in violations including conflict-related sexual violence, along with £15 million in new aid for survivors and communities threatened by famine, according to the British government, Sudan War Monitor and Reuters. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate halt to the fighting, protection of civilians and unhindered access for aid, describing the war as having turned into a war against the civilian population, according to a message conveyed by the United Nations. In Khartoum, SUNA reported a minister in the Darfur regional government condemning what happened in El Fasher and calling on the international community to move beyond silence and hold those responsible accountable. (Sources: Amnesty International, British government, United Nations, SUNA) 💡 Quick reading: The anniversary turned El Fasher from a military event into an open international accountability file, but sanctions and statements have not yet translated into actual protection or humanitarian access inside the city.

2️⃣ The Arab League in Khartoum: Fahmy meets Al-Burhan and Kamil Idris and affirms support for Sudanese dialogue The President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, met at the Republican Palace in Khartoum with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Nabil Fahmy, in the presence of Foreign Minister Mohiuddin Salem, and Prime Minister Kamil Idris also received the Secretary-General, according to SUNA and the headlines of Sudanese newspapers issued today. Fahmy said in a press statement reported by SUNA that he is committed to supporting Sudan's sovereignty and territorial unity and supporting its national institutions, rejected all forms of parallel structures to the state, and that he would continue his meetings with officials and the committee preparing for the Sudanese dialogue and listen to the views of Sudanese forces on peace and reconstruction. The Arab League affirmed its support for the Sudanese dialogue and the stability of the country, in the Secretary-General's first visit to Khartoum since taking office. (Sources: SUNA, Sovereignty Council Media, Media Office of the Council of Ministers) 💡 Quick reading: The importance of the visit lies in moving the dialogue file into Khartoum through the quintet mechanism, and its test will be in the inclusiveness of the dialogue and its ability to stop the war, not in statements alone.

3️⃣ The government exempts basic food goods from customs and taxes and lifts a ban on importing other goods Prime Minister Kamil Idris issued a decision exempting basic food goods from customs duties and taxes, including value-added tax, and lifting the ban on importing some food goods and other goods, according to a statement by the Media Office of the Council of Ministers issued on Monday. The exemption included flour, lentils, rice, Egyptian beans, cooking oils, beans, chickpeas and peas, and the decision directed the Ministries of Finance, Industry and Trade, the Customs Forces, the General Intelligence Service and the relevant authorities to take implementation measures. The decision came after directives from the President of the Sovereignty Council last week, at a time when goods prices are rising with the decline of the pound, rising transport costs and fuel shortages, while the National Chamber of Importers demanded a reduction in the customs exchange rate and simplification of import procedures. (Sources: Media Office of the Council of Ministers, SUNA) 💡 Quick reading: The decision theoretically reduces the cost of imports, but its effect on prices in the markets will depend on the speed of implementation, the exchange rate and transport costs between states.

— Editorial Team