SUDAN

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Khartoum on Monday to demand the military step down after it seized power in October. Security forces fired into crowds, killing at least seven protesters and prompting protest organisers to announce two days of strikes and civil disobedience. Crisis Group expert Murithi Mutiga says the security forces’ brutal response to protests will harden opposition to the ruling generals and complicate efforts, coordinated by the UN, to bring the two sides to the negotiating table.

WESTERN SAHARA

Recently appointed UN Envoy for Western Sahara Staffan de Mistura continued his trip to the region this week, meeting the leader of the pro-independence Polisario Front in Algeria after he met Moroccan officials last week. Crisis Group expert Riccardo Fabiani says while the visit was exploratory, it was the first by a UN envoy since 2019 and signals renewed international engagement with the Western Sahara conflict. It was all the more important given the current state of high tensions between Algeria and Morocco. Prospects for resuming UN-led talks for now remain unlikely.

YEMEN

The Huthis on Monday claimed missile and drone attacks on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that killed three people. The attacks came amid a series of advances by UAE-aligned forces in Yemen, which have repelled Huthi forces from Shebwa governorate and prevented the Huthis from making further progress in neighbouring Marib. Crisis Group expert Peter Salisbury says the attacks demonstrate the Huthis’ frustration at their recent setbacks in Shebwa. He does not foresee the UAE overtly increasing its role on the ground in Yemen, where it exerts considerable influence over key armed factions but does not have boots on the ground.