AGP Executive Report

Sudan War & Industry: Reports and leaked material continue to point to chemical weapons use in Sudan, with former OPCW officials describing credible incidents and witnesses citing chlorine-like effects near Khartoum’s Al Jili Oil Refinery and other sites, raising fresh pressure for independent investigation. Water & Public Health: A separate analysis highlights chlorine’s “double life” in Sudan—needed for safe drinking water but allegedly diverted for battlefield use—at a time when war has crippled water treatment and fuels cholera and other outbreaks. Food Security & Logistics: Drought and rising prices are hitting Sudan’s agricultural season, while wider trade-route disruptions keep food supply fragile; the knock-on effect is higher costs and tighter access to essentials. Energy & Power: War-driven blackouts and grid strain are pushing households toward solar, but high costs still leave many shut out. Regional Trade Links: Indonesia and Sudan discussed food-security cooperation in defense talks, pointing to Sudan’s agriculture and livestock as potential supply partners. Sports & Business: Al Merrikh (Sudan) and Power Dynamos (Zambia) gear up for a crucial CAF Champions League return leg, a reminder of how regional competition can still move money and attention despite instability.

Chemical Weapons & Water Security: Reports and leaked materials allege Sudan’s army used chlorine-based munitions, turning a vital water-treatment chemical into a battlefield weapon amid collapsing water systems and rising disease risk. Agribusiness & Food Supply: Farmers in South Kordofan and Darfur warn drought and erratic rains are damaging sorghum, sesame and peanuts, pushing up prices and threatening the coming agricultural season. Regional Food Security Trade: A wider look at disrupted shipping highlights how pressure on key routes (Red Sea, Black Sea, Hormuz) can ripple into grain prices and food access across Africa. Cross-border Cooperation: Indonesia and Sudan discussed food-security cooperation in defense talks, pointing to Sudan’s agriculture and livestock as potential partners for capacity-building. Humanitarian Funding Pressure: Doctors Without Borders says cuts and funding disruptions are forcing clinics to close in Sudan, shrinking the last lifelines for patients. Sports & Industry Links: Al Merrikh and Power Dynamos gear up for a CAF Champions League return leg, reflecting how regional sports logistics and travel keep moving despite instability.

Humanitarian Health: Doctors Without Borders says US aid cuts after USAID’s destruction are collapsing Sudan’s healthcare, forcing clinics to close and leaving MSF’s Um Rakuba hospital as a “lifeline.” Food & Agriculture: Drought is threatening Sudan’s agricultural season in South Kordofan and Darfur, with farmers reporting failed rains, crop burn, and rising sorghum prices. War Economy & Prices: Displaced people groups warn war, soaring prices, and collapsing production are pushing Sudan toward famine, as the pound weakens and food access shrinks. Water Crisis in Industry Cities: North Kordofan’s El Obeid faces a drinking-water breakdown and higher costs for essentials, with residents blaming administrative failures and new levies. Chemical Weapons Allegations: A leaked dossier claims Sudanese Army chlorine-based munitions were produced using international relief materials and used near Khartoum; Khartoum denies toxic-agent use. Trade & Logistics: Vectura Resource coordinated a 10,000-tonne floating power barge from Bangladesh to Port Sudan to support civilian electricity for critical infrastructure. Regional Water Governance: A former Ethiopian water minister says the Nile Basin CFA will be implemented regardless of Egypt’s refusal, shaping downstream water planning. Legal Accountability: ICC hears calls for concrete reparations for Darfur victims tied to Ali Kushayb, with decisions expected later.

Food Security & Trade Routes: WFP warns that disruptions across the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea/Suez corridor, and the Black Sea grain route could trigger a “triple chokepoint,” pushing up prices and hunger risk worldwide. Plant Biosecurity: Egypt hosts a Cairo workshop to strengthen regional cooperation against transboundary pests and diseases, with FAO and IPPC partners pushing harmonized standards and safer trade. Sudan Water & Prices: El Obeid in North Kordofan faces a worsening drinking-water crisis and soaring food costs, with residents blaming administrative failures and rising fees/levies. Humanitarian Alarm: Sudan’s displaced-people coordination group says war, collapsing local production, and currency pressure are driving food insecurity toward catastrophe. Power Logistics: Vectura Resource coordinated a 10,000-tonne floating power barge from Bangladesh to Port Sudan to support civilian electricity generation. Education Fallout: University of Khartoum reports 71% of academics remain abroad and major infrastructure damage threatens a full return to face-to-face teaching. Sudan Chemical Weapons Claims: U.S. media cites leaked files alleging SAF chlorine-gas weapon development and use, while Khartoum denies toxic-agent claims.

Chemical Weapons & Accountability: New York Times and Washington Post investigations cite leaked Sudanese military files alleging the SAF built and tested chlorine-gas munitions, with claims that senior commanders—including Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan—were aware, while Khartoum denies any toxic agents were used; the reports add pressure for sanctions and renewed scrutiny of chemical-weapons compliance. Diplomacy & External Role: Human Rights Watch urges Germany’s leaders to publicly confront the UAE’s human-rights record and alleged support to the RSF ahead of a Berlin meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, pointing to a UN fact-finding mission report on UAE-linked networks. Energy & Industry Impact: Sudan’s war-driven grid damage is pushing households toward solar power, but high costs keep many shut out, worsening productivity and schooling disruptions in Khartoum-area cities like Omdurman. Macroeconomy & Prices: Sudan’s economic crisis is deepening as the currency weakens and prices surge for staples like sugar, beans, lentils, and onions, squeezing wages and pushing families toward debt and aid. AI Governance (Global, with local relevance): UN rights chief Volker Türk warns advanced AI could pose existential risks and calls for “cast-iron guarantees,” urging firms to curb threats to critical services and communications.

Chemical Weapons Probe: Leaked SAF files reported by major US outlets allege a chlorine-based munitions program, including bomb designs, testing, and a cover-up plan tied to senior commanders, renewing international pressure on Khartoum. Humanitarian & Rights: UN rights chief Volker Türk renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire, warning of escalating civilian harm and alleging foreign support to RSF, including long-range drone attacks. Power & Energy Transition: Sudan’s war-damaged grid is pushing households toward solar as blackouts worsen, but high system costs keep many families shut out. Economy Under Strain: The economic crisis is deepening as currency weakness drives food prices up and wages down, squeezing basic supplies for families. Industry & Media Fallout: Sudan’s print media industry has effectively collapsed, with paper newspapers suspended and thousands of workers affected. Business Spotlight: Sudanese tycoon Osama Daoud Abdellatif’s $600m group highlights how industrial players keep operating despite the war. Agriculture & Trade Link: A report on North Kordofan notes SAF advances around Hamrat al-Wiz, a key agricultural and export-route hub.

North Kordofan Frontline: Sudan’s army says it seized Hamrat al-Wiz, a North Kordofan commercial hub linking eastern/central areas to export routes, as RSF reportedly fled and troops secured the town. War & Industry Shock: Sudan’s print media industry has effectively shut down, with all paper newspapers suspended for the first time in 120+ years and thousands of printing workers/journalists affected as war damages plants, raises costs, and disrupts communications. Power & Solar Push: Khartoum’s worsening electricity crisis is driving households toward solar, but high system costs keep most families out; officials cite major capacity losses since before the war. Energy Security: Reports also highlight growing demand for generators and solar as drone attacks and grid damage reduce power supply. Chemical Weapons Claims: Multiple investigations allege Sudan’s forces built and concealed a chlorine-based chemical weapons program, including bomb tests and stockpiles, while authorities deny the claims. Food & Climate Risk: New research warns climate stress and conflict-linked supply disruptions can raise food insecurity and instability, with El Niño effects looming into 2027.

Sudan’s Print Media Collapse: War has suspended all paper newspapers for the first time in 120+ years, shutting down printing facilities and leaving thousands of journalists and printing workers jobless as costs, security risks, and damaged infrastructure block a return to print. Power & Solar Push: With blackouts worsening, households in Khartoum and Omdurman are turning to solar, but high prices for panels, batteries, and inverters keep many families out. War Economy Pressure: Sudan’s Communist Party says the conflict is deepening an economic abyss, draining resources from production and collapsing industry, agriculture, trade, and banking activity. Chemical Weapons Allegations: New reporting claims Sudan’s forces built and tested chlorine-based munitions and tried to conceal traces, while related coverage also says a chemical storage site was later cleared—intensifying scrutiny of alleged chemical-weapons programs. Food Security & Climate Risk: Research links climate-driven agricultural decline and rising food insecurity to future conflict risks, with Sudan facing added pressure from worsening water and harvest conditions. Diplomacy & Trade: Serbia’s foreign minister met Sudan’s counterpart, highlighting potential cooperation in agriculture and education and inviting Sudanese participation in Serbia’s 2027 expo. Industry Watch: APR says lab tests found no Sudan Red dye in recalled Medicube batches, after regulators flagged contamination—an example of how compliance and testing shape consumer safety markets.

Chemical Weapons Probe: The Washington Post and other outlets report Sudan’s military allegedly built and concealed a secret chlorine-based chemical weapons program, including up to 290 munitions and bomb tests, with new claims that a chemical storage site was later cleared of traces—deepening scrutiny as SAF-linked figures face sanctions. Agribusiness & Food Security: UNDP highlights climate pressures on Sudan’s pastoralists and smallholders, with shifting rainfall and expanding farming raising conflict risks; it points to weather-index insurance as a tool to stabilize livelihoods. Energy & Regional Trade: A World Bank report says Ethiopia’s power exports helped halve Djibouti’s production costs and points to an Ethiopia–Kenya–Tanzania corridor model that could unlock wider electricity trade—Sudan so far appears as a small buyer. Livestock Health Controls: The Philippines ordered a temporary ban on importing FMD-susceptible animals and products from multiple countries including Sudan, signaling tighter cross-border animal health rules that can affect regional supply chains. Diplomacy & Trade Links: Serbia’s foreign minister met Sudan’s top diplomat, stressing scope for cooperation in agriculture and education and inviting Sudan’s participation in Expo 2027.

Chemical Weapons Allegations: New reporting says Sudan’s SAF, linked to Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, tested bombs and built a secret chlorine-based chemical weapons operation, then tried to conceal it—prompting US sanctions and renewing scrutiny of war crimes. Rural Climate Pressure: UNDP and MSF highlight how Sudan’s pastoralists and smallholders are squeezed by more erratic rainfall, earlier migrations, and expanding mechanized farming—pushing conflict over land and water and raising demand for tools like weather-index insurance. Water & Food Security: With climate shocks and displacement deepening rural hardship, Sudan’s supply lines and farm resilience remain under strain, especially where access to water and healthcare is already breaking down. Diplomacy & Trade: Serbia’s foreign minister met Sudan’s top diplomat, stressing cooperation in agriculture and education and inviting Sudanese students to scholarships, alongside plans to expand bilateral trade. Humanitarian Funding Signals: Qatar Charity says its 2026 response has reached nearly QR236mn and 5.8mn people across crises including Sudan, with projects spanning shelter, water, health, and education. Regional Industry Note: Power generation remains a pressure point as Khartoum struggles with unreliable electricity—keeping demand high for generators and stressing the need for stable energy supply.

Sudan Conflict & Industry Impact: A UN fact-finding mission says foreign weapons, drone tech and logistics networks are sustaining Sudan’s war, with investigators pointing to links involving the UAE, Chad, Libya and Somalia, and accusing both sides of serious drone-related violations. Power & Business Resilience in Khartoum: With unreliable electricity, Khartoum’s “parallel power economy” is booming—generators, solar systems and batteries are driving new work for technicians, suppliers and traders. Climate Pressure on Agriculture: UNDP and MSF highlight how intermittent rainfall and mechanisation are squeezing Sudan’s pastoralists and smallholders, intensifying farmer-herder conflicts and pushing demand for tools like weather-index insurance. Livestock Trade Controls: The Philippines ordered a temporary ban on importing foot-and-mouth disease–susceptible animals and products from 23 countries including Sudan, aiming to protect local herds. Regional Peace Efforts: At an AU extraordinary session in Angola, Cameroon’s envoy urged conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms, explicitly including Sudan. Humanitarian Operations: Qatar Charity reported nearly QR236mn in humanitarian work in 31 countries during the first seven months of 2026, with Sudan among top response priorities.

Sudan Power Economy: In Khartoum, years of unreliable electricity are driving a parallel market for generators, solar systems, and batteries—boosting demand for fuel, repairs, and power technicians as businesses and households scramble to stay running. Sudan War Supply Chains: A UN fact-finding mission says foreign weapons, drone tech, and logistics networks are sustaining Sudan’s conflict, with alleged support linked to the UAE, Chad, Libya, and Somalia, and claims of foreign contractors helping operate drone systems. Sudan Ransom Economy: New reporting describes how armed groups in Sudan increasingly profit from kidnapping for ransom, forcing civilians to negotiate payments for their own release. Egypt-Italy Trade & Energy: Egypt and Italy discussed expanding cooperation in trade, investment, energy interconnection, and labour mobility, with Egypt positioning itself as a logistics hub to reach African markets. Egypt Solar Push: Chinese solar technology is powering mega projects in Egypt, including large solar-plus-storage initiatives that support the green transition. Nepal Hydropower Rescue (Regional Industry Signal): After catastrophic floods, Nepal rescued two hydropower workers alive from the Trishuli 3A tunnel, highlighting both the risks and resilience in hydropower construction and operations.

Sudan War Supply Chains: A UN fact-finding mission says Sudan’s civil war is being sustained by foreign weapons, drones, training and logistics, with investigators pointing to a transnational network supplying the RSF and warning some drone attacks may amount to war crimes. Humanitarian Pressure: The same report highlights the civilian cost—strikes hitting homes, hospitals, schools and markets—while noting more than 14 million people are displaced and over 1,000 were killed in drone strikes in early 2026. Regional Energy Diplomacy: Ethiopia’s push to export electricity from the GERD and new Blue Nile dams is colliding with downstream concerns, as lack of operational data and coordination could worsen flood risks for Sudan. Trade & Ports: China and Egypt are deepening maritime and container links, with Guangzhou–Alexandria routes and sister-port cooperation boosting TEU volumes and port-industry training. Policy & Compliance: Oman issued multiple royal decrees, including a new law on combating narcotic drugs and amendments to personal data rules—signals of tightening regulation that can affect regional business compliance.

Sudan War Watch: A UN fact-finding mission says foreign weapons, drones, fighters and logistics are sustaining Sudan’s civil war and enabling strikes on civilian areas, with grounds to believe some attacks may amount to war crimes. It points to a transnational supply network involving the UAE, Chad, Libya and Somalia, and says RSF drone operations have killed more than 1,000 people in the first five months of 2026. Humanitarian Pressure: WFP reports its trucks were hit by air attacks near Dilling in South Kordofan, destroying over 50 tons of food meant for Kadugli and urging all parties to protect aid workers and assets. Regional Energy & Water: Ethiopia’s GERD expansion plans are again in focus as downstream coordination and information-sharing remain contentious, with spillway releases linked to flooding in Sudan. Industrial Cooperation: Egypt and Oman discuss joint industrial zones using Egypt’s industrial developer model to deepen supply chains. Culture & Industry: Sudanese artist MaMan and Egyptian singer Basyoni release “AHDI,” blending big-band brass with Afropop—an upbeat reminder of regional creative production.

Humanitarian Security in Sudan: WFP strongly condemned airstrikes on two clearly marked food-aid trucks near Dilling in South Kordofan, destroying 50+ metric tons and cutting supplies for 5,800 people for a month; WFP says it has recorded eight aerial attacks this year that disrupt operations, urging all parties to protect civilians and aid assets. Sudan Conflict Logistics: A new analysis warns Europe is treating Darfur arms controls as if they were limited to one region, arguing Sudan’s war is nationwide and that monitoring and enforcement still anchored to Darfur leave other supply lines untouched. Sudan War and Migration Pressure: A report links Sudan’s conflict to rising arrivals in Europe, noting UK small-boat arrivals from Sudan jumped 38% year-on-year to 4,389, adding strain to migration routes. Sudan Dialogue and Partition Risk: Sudan’s Youth Parliament warns of “deepening de facto partition,” as political processes fail to deliver lasting peace. Regional Industry Link: Egypt and China sign deals spanning digital economy, semiconductors, shipbuilding and the Suez Canal Economic Zone, with implications for regional trade and industrial supply chains. Sudan-Related Research: A study reviews whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing work on schizophrenia-related genes in Sudanese families, highlighting ongoing health-sector research needs.

Aid Supply Disruption in Sudan: WFP strongly condemned an aerial attack on two trucks carrying clearly marked food assistance outside Dilling, South Kordofan, on 30 August, destroying 50+ metric tons of supplies meant for Kadugli and enough for 5,800 people for a month; WFP says it has recorded eight aerial attacks this year damaging premises and disrupting operations, urging all parties to protect civilians and humanitarian assets. Agriculture & Food Security: El Gezira farmers are split over new agricultural and livestock associations, while communities in North Darfur’s El Sarif warn delayed rains are threatening the farming season and livestock and food security. Sudan Peace Process Pressure: Sudan’s pro-civilian Civil Democratic Alliance condemned an African Union Commission statement welcoming an “inconclusive” dialogue call by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, arguing it lacks credibility and entrenches division. Industry & Finance Context: A week of coverage also highlighted Sudan’s wider economic and conflict pressures, including calls for better humanitarian access and the risks food prices face amid conflict and climate shocks.