The Sudan Neighbours Initiative Ministerial Liaison Mechanism — established during the Sudan Neighbours Summit in Cairo on 13-14 July chaired by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and attended by the heads of state of the Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, and South Sudan, the chair of the African Union Commission and secretary-general of the Arab League — held its first meeting on 6-7 August in the Chadian capital N’Djamena.

The ministerial mechanism is tasked with formulating an action plan to end hostilities in Sudan and develop a roadmap to a peaceful solution to the Sudanese crisis and facilitate communications between the various Sudanese stakeholders. The first meeting discussed the executive measures needed to restore stability, safeguard the territorial integrity of Sudan, preserve its national institutions, contain the repercussions of the Sudanese crisis from spilling over into Sudan’s neighbours and deliver humanitarian relief and assistance to the Sudanese people.

The Cairo summit that resulted in the mechanism followed a series of unsuccessful mediation attempts by Arab, African and international parties to end the months-long conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces led by Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, aka Hemedti.

The aim of the ministerial mechanism’s first meeting in N’Djamena was to “propose solutions to the current Sudanese crisis which has brought the country to the brink of a devastating full-scale war, killed thousands and displaced millions of Sudanese” according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry of Chad on Saturday.

Partners meeting in Chad were keen to devise urgent responses to the mounting humanitarian crises, including severe shortages of food, medicine, essential medical services and other necessities of life, facing millions of Sudanese.

Proposals to resolve political, military, and civilian aspects of the Sudanese crisis are due to be submitted to the heads-of-state of Sudan’s neighbours in their next summit meeting. Speaking in Chad, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri said that Egypt has already begun practical steps towards Sudanese reconciliation by hosting meetings of the Sudanese Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) in Cairo on 24 and 25 July with the aim of addressing the root causes of the crisis. Egypt also continues to coordinate closely with UN and other international relief agencies to facilitate the delivery of aid.

Shoukri stressed that Sudan’s neighbours have no intention of imposing solutions on the Sudanese people. “We propose solutions with the aim of promoting a settlement,” he said.

According to the final statement of the meeting, participants emphasised the importance of integration and effective coordination between the various initiatives aimed at resolving the situation. The meeting also welcomed the humanitarian response plan prepared by the UN and called on donor countries and organisations to expedite support for this plan. They also expressed the urgent need to keep humanitarian corridors open and they pointed out the importance of direct and continuous contacts with the different parties in order to define the parameters of a permanent ceasefire.

While it is too early to judge whether the first meeting of the mechanism was a success — its results have yet to be translated into action — participants are keen to avoid the mistakes of earlier initiatives which is why they continue to stress the principles of good neighbourliness, non-interference in the internal affairs of Sudan and the preservation of Sudanese national institutions and territorial integrity. They also hold that there can be no mediated solution in the absence of coordination with Sudan’s neighbours.

The latter principle may be one of the most important achievements of the Cairo initiative. Cairo was able to bring together Sudan’s neighbours, despite serious disputes between some of them, in a framework designed to coordinate positions over their troubled neighbour and reduce the possibility of the deployment of international forces on Sudanese territory. The ministerial mechanism also recognises the need for constructive communication between all parties and concerted action to foster viable solutions to end the immediate crisis followed by a roadmap leading to a comprehensive settlement.

*The writer is a researcher at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 10 August, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly