Sudan is dispatching a delegation to Cairo to confer with mediators from the United States and Egypt

Sudan’s government has announced that a delegation will be dispatched to Cairo on Monday to engage in discussions with U.S. and Egyptian officials. The government has decided to maintain the possibility of participating in peace negotiations that are intended to conclude a 16-month conflict.

The government, which is under the control of the army, has declared that it will not participate in the peace negotiations in Switzerland unless a previous agreement reached in Jeddah is implemented. The army is currently engaged in a conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for control of the country.

The RSF is participating in the US-led negotiations, which are intended to resolve the devastating conflict that erupted in April 2023 and to address the crippling humanitarian crisis that has resulted in food insecurity for half of Sudan’s 50 million population.

According to a statement issued by the Transitional Sovereign Council, the decision to travel to Cairo was made following discussions with the US special envoy and the Egyptian government, which is an observer in the negotiations. The purpose of the trip was to discuss the implementation of the Jeddah agreement, which stipulates that the RSF will withdraw from civilian areas.

The government had presented its vision on that and other topics to US and Saudi mediators, according to high-level government sources who spoke to Reuters. The government’s approach to further talks would be contingent upon their response.

The sources refuted media reports that the government had dispatched a delegation to Geneva.

The presence of the United Arab Emirates, which the army accuses of supporting the RSF, is another stumbling point. The UAE denies this allegation. These allegations have been deemed credible by experts from the United Nations.

On Thursday, the army announced that it would permit the use of an RSF-controlled border crossing into Darfur for aid deliveries, thereby preempting a critical issue in the negotiations.

According to a senior US official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had consented to the opening during a telephone conversation with Secretary of State Antony Blinken the previous day.