The United States will host a late‑July meeting of the so‑called Quad for Sudan—Washington, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt—to unveil what diplomats describe as a draft roadmap toward a permanent cease‑fire and a new political transition.
Civilian blocs welcome talks; Islamist wing balks
- Babakr Faisal, executive‑office chief of the Unionist Gathering Party, told local outlets the session “marks the first concrete step toward ending the war,” but warned that any deal must embed Sudan’s pro‑democracy forces “or a fresh conflict could ignite even after guns fall silent.”
- Islamist politicians aligned with General al-Burhan’s army (SAF) have denounced the gathering as “external engineering of Sudan’s future,” signalling they may reject any outcome that dilutes the SAF’s leverage. Their statements were carried by Islamist‑leaning social‑media channels; The Sudan Times could not independently confirm an official boycott.
RSF‑aligned coalition sets conditions
Mohamed al‑Mukhtar Nour, legal adviser to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), said the RSF‑led Sudan Founding Alliance would issue its position only after receiving a “formal invitation addressed to the coalition, not individual factions,” and insisted any roadmap must tackle “root causes, not cosmetic fixes.”
Senior White House Africa adviser Massad Boulos reiterated this week that “there is no military solution” to Sudan’s civil war, adding that Washington is working on both direct and back‑channel tracks with SAF commander Gen. Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan and RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
Diplomats caution success hinges on the warring parties’ willingness to accept outside guarantees; previous rounds in Jeddah and Brussels collapsed amid mutual accusations of bad faith.
What the draft plan includes (diplomatic sources)
- Immediate 72‑hour nationwide truce overseen by U.S. and Saudi monitors.
- Humanitarian corridors into Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan under U.N. logistics.
- Negotiations in a neutral venue on a 24‑month civilian transition, with seats reserved for resistance committees and women’s groups.
- Targeted sanctions waiver for both sides if they comply within 45 days.
Why it matters
Sudan’s war, now in its third year, has displaced more than nine million people and fractured the country into rival administrations. Analysts say the Quad meeting could align Arab heavyweights with U.S. pressure, but only if Sudanese actors see the package as balanced. “Without buy‑in from Islamists inside SAF and civilians inside RSF territory, even the best‑drafted roadmap will be paper only,” one Gulf envoy told media on condition of anonymity because details are still fluid.
The Washington talks are set to follow up on a mid‑July Brussels workshop that failed to produce a unified international stance but agreed that any future government must be “inclusive, rights‑based and economically viable.”
Opposition activists say they will judge the Quad by one yardstick: “Can it stop the shelling in Omdurman and deliver bread and medicine to El Fasher?” said Lina Taha, a member of the Civilian Democratic Alliance. “If not, it’s another summit‑talk show.”
