Sudan’s government said it will send a delegation to Cairo for discussions with US and Egyptian officials on Monday (19), keeping open the question of participation in peace talks aimed at ending a 16-month civil war.
The government, controlled by the army fighting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for control of the country, said it would not take part in peace talks in Switzerland unless an earlier agreement reached in Jeddah was implemented.
The US-led negotiations, in which RSF is participating, aim to end the devastating war that erupted in April 2023 and address the crippling humanitarian crisis that has left half of Sudan’s population of 50 million facing food insecurity.
A statement from the ruling Transitional Sovereign Council said the decision to go to Cairo followed contacts with the US special envoy and the Egyptian government, which is an observer in the negotiations, and was limited to discussing the implementation of the Jeddah agreement, under which the RSF would leave civilian areas.
Senior government sources told Reuters the administration had presented its views on this and other topics to U.S. and Saudi mediators, and that its approach to future negotiations would be based on their response.
The sources denied media reports that the government had already sent a delegation to Geneva.
Another point of contention for the army is the presence of the United Arab Emirates, which it accuses of supporting the RSF, an accusation the UAE denies. Experts have found such accusations credible.
On Thursday (15), the army pre-empted a key issue in the negotiations when it said it would allow an RSF-controlled border crossing into Darfur to be used for aid deliveries.
A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan agreed to open dialogue during a phone call with Secretary of State Antony Blinken the previous day.
