Sudan’s government has announced it will send representatives to Cairo for talks with U.S. and Egyptian officials on Monday, leaving the door open regarding their participation in peace negotiations aimed at ending a prolonged 16-month conflict.
The army-led government, which is in conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for national control, has stipulated that it will not join the peace talks in Switzerland unless the Jeddah agreement is enforced.
Sudan’s Representatives Set for Cairo Talks with U.S. and Egypt, Peace Negotiations Still Uncertain
These U.S.-backed discussions, with the RSF in attendance, are focused on ending the ongoing war that erupted in April 2023 and addressing the severe humanitarian crisis affecting half of Sudan’s 50 million people with food shortages.
According to a statement from the Transitional Sovereign Council, the decision to engage in talks in Cairo followed discussions with the U.S. special envoy and the Egyptian government. This visit is intended to focus solely on the implementation of the Jeddah agreement, which requires the RSF to withdraw from civilian areas.
High-level sources within the government informed Reuters that their proposed stance on various issues had been shared with U.S. and Saudi mediators, and further negotiations would hinge on their feedback.
These sources also refuted claims that a delegation had already been dispatched to Geneva. Additionally, the army has raised concerns about the involvement of the United Arab Emirates, which it accuses of supporting the RSF—a claim the UAE has denied.
On Thursday, the army addressed a critical issue by agreeing to permit the use of an RSF-controlled border crossing into Darfur for humanitarian aid. A senior U.S. official revealed that army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had confirmed this decision during a recent phone conversation with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
