Rival political groups in Sudan joined the first formal peace talks in Cairo on Saturday, nearly 15 months after hostilities started, but they acknowledged there was little chance of a speedy conclusion to the conflict.
The army-aligned Democratic Bloc declined to meet in combined sessions with the Taqaddum faction during the conference, claiming that the latter was sympathetic to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF did not come, nor did the army.
Since it broke out in April 2023, the Sudanese conflict has resulted in the forced displacement of nearly 10 million people, hunger warnings, and waves of ethnically motivated violence that have been primarily blamed on the RSF.
This week, the force that moved across the state of Sennar resulted in more displacement. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army leader, responded by declaring that talks with the RSF or its backers would not take place.
“The stark deterioration in the humanitarian situation and the catastrophic consequences of this crisis, call on all of us to work immediately and sustainably to stop military operations,” said newly-appointed Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty.
The end of last year saw the breakdown of US-Saudi Arabia-sponsored talks between the army and RSF in Jeddah.
A coalition of armed organizations, civil society, and pro-democracy parties called Taqaddum has demanded that the war end. Multiple armed group leaders are fighting for the army-aligned Democratic Bloc.
At the beginning of the conference, the principal attendees were seated at opposite ends of the auditorium, despite Egypt’s ability to use its power to bring the gathering together.
The sole agreement reached by the two political groups was to establish a tiny subcommittee to draft a final communique demanding an end to the war, which three leaders of the Democratic Bloc who were fighting alongside the army refused to sign.
“We told them [the Egyptians] not to have high ambitions for this meeting,” Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim told Reuters. He along with Darfur governor Minni Minawi and Sovereign Council deputy Malik Agar did not sign the communique.
“Given the situation on the ground, if we sit and eat and drink and laugh with the people who are allied and partners in the crimes that are happening we would be sending the wrong message to our citizens and our soldiers,” he said.
He continued by saying that unless the RSF leaves civilian areas by a deal reached in Jeddah last year and the United Arab Emirates stops providing material support to the RSF, an end to the conflict is not likely. Despite the UAE’s denials, U.N. experts have stated that allegations of such backing are plausible.
Abdalla Hamdok, the head of Taqaddum and a former prime minister, denied any connection between the alliance and the RSF, stating he was waiting for the army’s approval before the meeting.
“A crisis this complicated and deep is not expected to end in one meeting… The lesson is for us to be patient and to build on anything positive that comes out of it,” he told Reuters, echoing sentiments from diplomats at the meeting.
Tom Perriello, the Special Envoy of the United States, expressed optimism that the momentum from the meetings on Saturday will continue into next week’s meeting, which is one of several related efforts that the African Union has called.
