Egypt to host inter-Sudanese political dialogue in June

 May 28, 2024 (CAIRO) – The Egyptian government plans to host a conference for Sudanese political forces at the end of June to facilitate rapprochement and consensus among the diverse political factions on a path towards comprehensive peace.

This initiative follows previous attempts by Cairo to mediate a resolution to the conflict, including an initiative involving Sudan’s neighbouring countries.

In an official statement on Tuesday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the conference will be held in Cairo and will include participation from a wide range of Sudanese civil political forces, along with regional and international partners.

The primary objective of the conference is to achieve a consensus among the various political forces on strategies to establish lasting and comprehensive peace. This will be achieved through a Sudanese national dialogue guided by a purely Sudanese vision.

The Egyptian initiative is driven by the belief that the ongoing conflict is fundamentally a Sudanese issue and that any political process must involve all active parties in Sudan, reads the statement. It also emphasizes respect for Sudan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

This conference is seen as a continuation of Cairo’s ongoing efforts to bring an end to the war, in collaboration with regional and international partners.

While the participation of the warring parties has not been confirmed, the Egyptian government expressed hope for active participation from all Sudanese civil political forces and regional and international partners.

The statement emphasized the importance of collective efforts to ensure the conference’s success in meeting the Sudanese people’s aspirations.

Egypt’s impact on Sudanese political forces has been limited, except for the Democratic Unionist Party led by Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani, which welcomed the initiative immediately. Egypt has also faced accusations of favouring the Sudanese army.

Regionally, Cairo’s efforts to dissuade regional countries from supporting the paramilitary forces have been unsuccessful. So, it did not seek to use the Arab League to stop the alleged UAE support for the RSF. Additionally, its previous initiative for a coalition of neighbouring countries has been undermined by allegations of Chad’s involvement in supplying weapons to the RSF.