Key Points

· Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) regained control of Higlig in South Kordofan after ten days of occupation by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). Journalists and diplomats from Khartoum that were taken to Higlig have reported major destruction of oil installations there, and the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) has reported major damage in Higlig town, including damage to health facilities. According to SRCS, civilians have not yet started returning, except for go-and-see visits.

· The SAF claims it ousted the SPLA from Higlig, while South Sudan says it ordered its forces to withdraw without a fight. International humanitarian organizations have not yet had access to Higlig but are consulting closely with national partners to assess the impact on civilians of the recent fighting.

· Following the occupation of Higlig by the SPLA, tension and war rhetoric between Sudan and South Sudan increased exponentially, threatening to turn into a full-scale war between the two countries and leading humanitarian organizations to reassess their contingency plans and emergency preparedness.

· In South Kordofan, fighting also continued between the SAF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N), with reports of some 12,500 civilians having fled in recent days from the Talodi area to El Leri.

· Almost 144,000 refugees from South Kordofan and Blue Nile states are registered in camps in neighbouring South Sudan and Ethiopia.

· Some 1,100 people displaced from Abiemnon in South Sudan following aerial bombings in the area arrive in Rumameer, in the Abyei area.

· Some people of South Sudanese origin in South Darfur flee and shelter either with host communities or in camps for displaced people after an attack on their settlement by some youths.