Hemedti’s return to Addis Ababa on August 26 came as fighting intensified in Sudan’s Blue Nile region and his forces and allies moved closer to positions protecting the roads to Ed-Damazin, raising questions about Ethiopia’s role in the unfolding offensive.

The handwritten message from UAE President MBZ to Saudi King Salman was formally an invitation to the 2026 UN Water Conference, but diplomats saw its timing and its direct address to the king as an attempt to bypass Crown Prince MBS, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler.

Since the early months of the war that erupted in April 2023, the Sudanese-Chadian border has been central to the mutual accusations regarding the sources of arms for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, announced on August 15, 2026, that participants in a proposed national dialogue would receive temporary immunity, presenting it as a key step toward a political process led by an independent national mechanism.

A draft UN report reviewed by Reuters found that Boeing 727 aircraft linked to a former U.S. military contractor's business network transported weapons, drones, mercenaries, and fighters to Darfur for the UAE-backed RSF militia.