Sudanese Political Factions Meet in Cairo with Little Prospect of Peace

People fleeing the town of Singa, the capital of Sudan's southeastern Sennar state, arrive in Gedaref in the east of the war-torn country on July 2, 2024. (AFP)
People fleeing the town of Singa, the capital of Sudan's southeastern Sennar state, arrive in Gedaref in the east of the war-torn country on July 2, 2024. (AFP)
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Sudanese Political Factions Meet in Cairo with Little Prospect of Peace

People fleeing the town of Singa, the capital of Sudan's southeastern Sennar state, arrive in Gedaref in the east of the war-torn country on July 2, 2024. (AFP)
People fleeing the town of Singa, the capital of Sudan's southeastern Sennar state, arrive in Gedaref in the east of the war-torn country on July 2, 2024. (AFP)

Rival Sudanese political factions formally attended reconciliation talks in Cairo on Saturday, the first since a conflict in the country began almost 15 months ago, but admitted there was little prospect of quickly ending the war.

During the conference the Democratic Bloc, which is aligned with the army, refused to hold joint sessions with Taqaddum faction, which it accuses of sympathizing with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Neither the army nor the RSF attended.

The war in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023, has forced almost 10 million people from their homes, sparked warnings of famine and waves of ethnically-driven violence.

The force this week swept through the state of Sennar, causing new displacement. In response, army head General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said the military would not negotiate with the RSF or its supporters.

"The stark deterioration in the humanitarian situation and the catastrophic consequences of this crisis, call on all of us to work to immediately and sustainably to stop military operations," said newly-appointed Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.

Talks in Jeddah between the army and RSF that were sponsored by the United States and Saudi Arabia broke down at the end of last year.

Taqaddum is a coalition of pro-democracy parties, armed groups, and civil society that has called for an end to the war. The army-aligned Democratic Bloc includes several armed group leaders participating in the fighting.

While Egypt was able to wield its influence to assemble the group, the main attendees were seated at opposite sides of the hall at the conference's opening.

The two political factions agreed only to form a small subcommittee to come up with a final communique calling for an end to the war, which three Democratic Bloc leaders with forces fighting alongside the army did not 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 to our soldiers," he said.

He added that an end to the war was not realistic without the withdrawal of the RSF from civilian areas, in line with an agreement signed in Jeddah last year.

Former Prime Minister and Taqaddum head Abdalla Hamdok rejected accusations that the coalition was linked to the RSF, saying he awaited the army's agreement to meet.

"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.

US Special Envoy Tom Perriello said he hoped momentum from Saturday's talks would carry on to another meeting called by the African Union next week, another of several overlapping initiatives.



Türkiye Warns of Plans to Divide Syria into Four Mini-States

Two fighters from Turkish-backed factions in southern Manbij, Syria (AFP)
Two fighters from Turkish-backed factions in southern Manbij, Syria (AFP)
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Türkiye Warns of Plans to Divide Syria into Four Mini-States

Two fighters from Turkish-backed factions in southern Manbij, Syria (AFP)
Two fighters from Turkish-backed factions in southern Manbij, Syria (AFP)

Concerns are mounting in Türkiye over potential scenarios in Syria following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The warnings come as clashes persist between Turkish-backed factions and the US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in eastern Aleppo, alongside ongoing Turkish airstrikes targeting SDF positions east of the Euphrates.
Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and ally of Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the People’s Alliance, has sounded the alarm over plans being drawn up for Syria ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
Bahçeli cautioned that developments in Syria could escalate quickly, emphasizing the risks of instability in the region as Türkiye presses its campaign against Kurdish-led forces it considers a threat.
Fatih Erbakan, leader of the New Welfare Party, has voiced concerns over developments in Syria, warning of a potential partition of the war-torn country into four separate states.
Erbakan speculated that plans might be underway to establish an autonomous region along Türkiye’s border for the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military arm, the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the largest components of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Such a move, he cautioned, would pose a significant security challenge for Türkiye, which views the PYD and YPG as extensions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Erbakan raised alarms over reports of negotiations to partition Syria into four autonomous regions.
In a televised interview, Erbakan cited reports in US, Israeli, and French media suggesting efforts to divide Syria and establish autonomous zones, including one for Kurdish groups along Türkiye’s border.
Erbakan warned that after the destabilization of Iraq and Syria, Iran and Türkiye could be next, urging Ankara to act decisively to prevent Syria’s division and preserve its territorial integrity.