Burhan’s side rejects Igad, UAE role in Geneva talks

Sudan’s army delegation has rejected proposals involving regional bloc, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), and the United Arab Emirates in the upcoming dialogue in Switzerland this week.

The move is the latest condition imposed by the junta under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and may jolt the dialogue pushed by the United States to be held in Geneva this Wednesday. But it also reflects the suspicions Burhan has had about the regional bloc, as well as Abu Dhabi in this war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The move came from preparatory talks hosted by the US in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the issue of participants was raised on Saturday and Sunday.

Sudan’s military had first asked that no talks proceed until RSF opens humanitarian corridors and pauses attacks on civilians. Then it said it won’t take part unless the UAE and Igad stay away from the talks.

A source at the Djibouti-based Igad secretariat told The EastAfrican that the bloc had not even been invited to the talks.

Yet the meeting in Jeddah, labelled as “consultations” between the Sudanese government delegation and the American side in Jeddah, concluded without any significant breakthrough, highlighting the widening gap in perspectives on the peace process in Sudan.

According to informed sources, the Sudanese junta delegation expressed strong reservations about the involvement of certain international parties arguing that their presence could compromise the integrity of the process. Sudan has accused UAE of arming RSF and prolonging the war, claims the US also backed.

But Abu Dhabi refuted this charge, including in a statement tabled to the UN Security Council in July.

Sudan’s Minister for Minerals Mohamed Bashir Abu Namu, the head of the delegation, said the talks had ended “without an agreement on the participation of the Sudanese delegation in the Geneva negotiations.” The bone of contention, he said, was “whether the delegation represents the army according to their desire or represents the government according to our decision from now on.”

“This matter will be left in the hands of our leadership to decide according to its estimates, and certain details. Many things led us to this decision to end the consultative dialogue without an agreement.”

Sudan’s army says it wants to be the de facto representative of Sudan and doesn’t want an equal status given to the RSF. Locally, the Army labels RSF as rebels while the RSF labels the army as remnants of the Muslim Brotherhood associated with ousted leader Omar al-Bashir.

Yet Burhan says future talks should refer to his delegation as the official government, authorised to use official government seal and distinguishing from the Sudanese army's representation, in order to present a unified stance internationally.

Additionally, the government insisted that the Geneva talks should not be seen as a new platform for negotiations, stressing the importance of adhering to, and implementing, the outcomes of the previous Jeddah talks, before considering any new negotiation pathways.

The Jeddah talks, pushed by the US and Saudi Arabia, reached several ceasefire agreements that were never honoured. A final commitment to peace also broke down and parties walked away from the table.

Sudan’s army has had beef with Igad, which it accused of favouring the RSF. In January, Sudan said it was suspending its membership in Igad after the bloc invited RSF leader Mohamed Daglo to a summit in Djibouti.

Sudan, however, has been seeking re-admission into the African Union after it was suspended over the October 2021coup.

RSF and the Sudanese army have fought since April 2023, killing at least 16,000 people and displacing more than 10 million others.

Both sides have been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including blocking humanitarian access to civilian areas, as well as bombing residences.

The Geneva talks, which the RSF agreed to attend, were seen as the first serious attempt in months to mediate between the warring parties. But the governing junta first wants full implementation of previous commitments to peace before embarking on any new dialogue.

On its part, the RSF has called on Washington and Riyadh not to respond to “Burhan and his group's manoeuvring led by Ali Karti.” Karti is one of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood loyal to former president Omar al-Bashir. The RSF accuses him of attempting to prolong the war.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the end of July that Washington is seriously seeking to end the conflict, noting that the talks sponsored by the US and Saudi Arabia in Geneva would include the African Union, UAE, Egypt, and the UN as observers.

Mr Blinken said the talks aimed "to achieve a comprehensive cessation of violence across the country, facilitate humanitarian aid access to all those in need, and establish an effective monitoring mechanism to ensure the implementation of any agreement reached.