The Sudan government will send a delegation to Cairo to discuss peace efforts with U.S. and Egyptian officials. This step keeps the door open for future peace talks aimed at ending the 16-month war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Both sides are battling for control of the country.
The military-led government previously stated it would not join the peace talks in Switzerland. This will be unless they enforced an earlier agreement made in Jeddah. The U.S.-led talks, which the RSF is attending, aim to resolve the conflict that began in April 2023. They also seek to address the severe humanitarian crisis that has left half of Sudan 50 million people facing food insecurity.
The Transitional Sovereign Council said the decision to attend the Cairo talks followed discussions with the U.S. special envoy and the Egyptian government. These talks will also focus on the Jeddah agreement, which requires the RSF to withdraw from civilian areas. Government sources indicated that their future participation in talks depends on the response from U.S. and Saudi mediators.
The Sudan army is concerned about the United Arab Emirates‘ involvement in the negotiations. They accuse the UAE of supporting the RSF, a claim the UAE denies, though UN experts find it credible. Recently, the army agreed to allow an RSF-controlled border crossing into Darfur to be used for humanitarian aid. This decision followed a conversation between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
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