Sudanese political and civil-society groups met in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital early this week in the hope of bridging their differences and putting an end to the 16-month war in their country.

The various Sudanese parties attending Sudan’s civil and political groups conference highlighted a unified call for peace and the need for a comprehensive plan to address the ongoing crisis.

The conference, held under the theme of “Together to halt the war in Sudan”, addressed three main issues: halting the war; the Sudanese humanitarian crisis; and the political process and its agenda and basic principles.

Conference delegates agreed to form a committee to advance discussions and efforts towards achieving lasting peace in Sudan.

By hosting the conference, Egypt is trying to open inter-Sudanese political dialogue while highlighting that any solution should be from within Sudan without any external interference.

In his opening address to the conference, Egypt’s new Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty pointed out that the present conflict is a fundamentally Sudanese issue.  

“All the active political parties in Sudan should be included in any future political settlement, which should be held within the framework of respecting the state’s sovereignty and integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs,” he said.

He pointed to the importance of preserving the unity of the Sudanese army so that it can protect the country and its people.

Abdelatty emphasised Egypt’s commitment to supporting Sudan on its path towards peace and stability and urged the international community to support the conference’s outcomes.

The Cairo conference aimed at bringing together “all the Sudanese civil political forces aiming to foster a comprehensive and lasting peace in Sudan,” a statement by the Foreign Ministry ahead of the conference said.

However, one main obstacle towards reaching a ceasefire and ending the war in Sudan, as political commentators agreed this week, is that the two main warring parties, which alone can take the decision to end the war, did not participate in the conference.

Moreover, the enmity between Sudan’s two main political forces, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), poses a major threat to the success of talks.

Commentators did not pin much hope on this week’s conference as the conflict between the two main warring factions is deep and complicated.

Many Sudanese groups took part in the conference, including former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, head of the Coordination of Civilian Democratic Forces (Taqaddum), a civilian anti-war alliance that brings together a range of civil-society groups, political parties, and professional associations.

Leaders of Sudanese rebel groups, including Malik Agar of the Sudan Revolutionary Front and Gibril Ibrahim of the Justice and Equality Movement, also attended.

Both parties say that an end to the war is not feasible without the withdrawal of the RSF from civilian areas, in line with an agreement signed in Jeddah last year, and the end of material support to the RSF by external parties.

The RSF does not seem to be willing to respond to these demands.

Representatives of the Arab League, the African Union (AU), the UN, and the EU, as well as other neighbouring countries, attended the conference.

The conference is the first to open up inter-Sudanese political dialogue since the conflict started in Sudan and aimed to build on various attempts to bring the two main warring factions to dialogue.

The US-Saudi-mediated talks that started shortly after the eruption of war in April 2023 between the SAF and the RSF failed to bridge the differences between the two and end the fighting. It broke down at the end of last year because the two warring parties failed to honour their commitments to implement confidence-building measures or withdraw military forces from key towns in Sudan.

Various parties underlined the importance of this week’s Cairo conference, including Hamdok who stressed that it was being held at a crucial time for Sudan, which is facing an existential crisis.

Some analysts expressed hopes that it will create momentum ahead of another meeting called by the AU to be held next week. However, others cast doubt on this, claiming that holding several consecutive meetings sponsored by influential parties may create confusion or delay rather than contribute to resolving the situation in Sudan.

In July 2023, Egypt hosted the Sudan Neighbouring States Summit to discuss the situation in Sudan and find a solution to end the crisis. The summit, attended by seven neighbouring countries, took various decisions, the most important of which was the formation of a ministerial mechanism comprising the foreign ministers of Sudan’s neighbours to address the conflict.

Two important humanitarian conferences have been held to ease the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, the first in June last year in Geneva and the second in Paris in April this year.

Both called on the warring parties to put an end to the hostilities, comply with international humanitarian law, and guarantee full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to the whole Sudanese territory.

Egypt’s southern neighbour descended into chaos in April last year when tensions between the SAF and the RSF arose, leading to open fighting especially in the capital Khartoum.

The fighting has left more than 14,000 people dead and at least 33,000 wounded.

The crisis in Sudan has created the world’s largest displacement crisis with more than 11 million people fleeing their homes to neighbouring countries. More than half a million displaced Sudanese have gone to Egypt, joining another five million Sudanese who have been residing in Egypt for years.

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* A version of this article appears in print in the 11 July, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly