Egypt endorsed on Thursday what it described as US President Donald Trump’s vision for peace in Sudan as it hosted the war-torn country’s de facto leader in Cairo.
Trump said last month that he would “start working on Sudan” after the conflict was brought to his attention by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but so far little is known about any specific proposals.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s office voiced “full support for” Trump’s vision for “security, stability and peace in Sudan, in line with President Trump’s approach of peacemaking, preventing escalation and resolving conflicts around the world”.
Since April 2023, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has been at war with his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Diplomatic efforts to end what the United Nations calls “a war of atrocities” have repeatedly faltered, and Africa’s third-largest country is now at risk of fragmentation and regional spillover.
Hopes for a breakthrough in talks were rekindled in November when Trump said he would work to “stabilise” the conflict at the urging of Prince Mohammed during a visit to Washington.
Saudi Arabia and the US are part of the so-called Quad group of mediating countries, which also includes Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, two key Washington allies seen as wielding the most leverage over the warring sides.
Abu Dhabi denies widespread reports it backs the RSF, while Cairo has historically been Sudan’s strongest ally.
Cairo on Thursday warned that escalating violence across its southern border “directly affects Egyptian national security, which is inextricably linked to Sudanese national security”.
It again called for unity and territorial integrity, which it said are threatened by “parallel authorities”. The RSF has declared a rival government in the vast western region of Darfur it now dominates.
Previous proposals from mediators, including one that would have excluded both sides from the post-war political process, have fallen flat.
Cairo reiterated on Thursday that “preserving Sudanese state institutions… is another red line for Egypt”.
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© Agence France-Presse
