Sudan Sending Delegation to Cairo to Meet US and Egyptian Mediators

A woman protecting her face with a cardboard bearing the Sudanese flag as she holds a banner next to the monumental wood sculpture "Broken Chair" (L) during a demonstration on the opening day of Sudan ceasefire talks, in Geneva, on August 14, 2024. (AFP)
A woman protecting her face with a cardboard bearing the Sudanese flag as she holds a banner next to the monumental wood sculpture "Broken Chair" (L) during a demonstration on the opening day of Sudan ceasefire talks, in Geneva, on August 14, 2024. (AFP)
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Sudan Sending Delegation to Cairo to Meet US and Egyptian Mediators

A woman protecting her face with a cardboard bearing the Sudanese flag as she holds a banner next to the monumental wood sculpture "Broken Chair" (L) during a demonstration on the opening day of Sudan ceasefire talks, in Geneva, on August 14, 2024. (AFP)
A woman protecting her face with a cardboard bearing the Sudanese flag as she holds a banner next to the monumental wood sculpture "Broken Chair" (L) during a demonstration on the opening day of Sudan ceasefire talks, in Geneva, on August 14, 2024. (AFP)

Sudan's government said it will send a delegation to Cairo for discussions with US and Egyptian officials on Monday, keeping open the question of participation in peace talks aimed at ending a 16-month war.

The government, controlled by the army which is fighting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for control of the country, has said it would not attend the peace talks in Switzerland unless a previous agreement struck in Jeddah is implemented.

The US-led talks, which the RSF is attending, aim to end the devastating war that broke out 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 came after contacts with the US special envoy and the Egyptian government, which is an observer in the talks, and was limited to discussing implementation of the Jeddah agreement, under which the RSF would leave civilian areas.

High-level government sources told Reuters that the government had presented its vision on that and other topics to US and Saudi mediators, and that its approach to further talks would be based on their response.

The sources denied media reports that the government had already sent a delegation to Geneva.

The army on Thursday pre-empted a key topic of the talks when it said it would allow an RSF-controlled border crossing into Darfur to be used for aid deliveries.

A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had agreed to the opening during a phone call with Secretary of State Antony Blinken the day before.



Egypt, France Agree on Intensifying Efforts to Limit Regional Escalation

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi receives French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne in Cairo on Saturday. (Egyptian presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi receives French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne in Cairo on Saturday. (Egyptian presidency)
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Egypt, France Agree on Intensifying Efforts to Limit Regional Escalation

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi receives French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne in Cairo on Saturday. (Egyptian presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi receives French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne in Cairo on Saturday. (Egyptian presidency)

Egypt and France agreed on Saturday on the need to “intensify efforts to limit the escalation in the region.”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received in Cairo French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne for talks on regional developments.

He said: “The continuation of the war on Gaza is dragging the region to an empty and dangerous circle of instability.”

He stressed the need for all sides to intensify efforts to seize the opportunity during the ongoing Gaza truce negotiations to reach an agreement that would end the bloodshed and avert an escalation in the region.

Sisi also underscored “the international community’s responsibility in exerting pressure to reach de-escalation and tackle the root of this conflict by establishing an independent Palestinian state and implementing the two-state solution.”

For his part, Sejourne expressed France’s full support for ceasefire efforts, saying Paris was actively seeking to end the current regional tensions.

He briefed Sisi on the outcomes of his tour of the region, highlighting Egypt’s “vital role in the mediation, along with Qatar and the United States, to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and hostage exchange.”

He also held talks with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty on de-escalation efforts.

During a joint press conference, Abdelatty said they discussed preparations for Cairo to host the next round of ceasefire negotiations.

“Egypt is playing a major role in ending the war on Gaza and implementing the two-state solution,” he added.

The Egyptian and French officials also discussed the crises in Sudan, Libya and Lebanon, as well as the situation in the Horn of Africa.