Sudanese junta official Malik Agar has requested a surprise reconciliation meeting with his longtime rival, Abdelaziz al-Hilu, in Ethiopia.
Agar, who previously served as chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) and now is deputy to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Abdelaziz al-Hilu is the SPLM-N leader and has close ties to the Rapid Support Forces.
An African Union diplomatic source revealed Saturday that Agar asked Ethiopian authorities to mediate the high-stakes talks in Addis Ababa.
This unexpected diplomatic overture marks the first major attempt at contact since their bitter factional split in the year 2017.
The proposed meeting carries immense political weight as Sudan remains consumed by a devastating war between rival military commanders.
Agar aims to resurrect the historic “New Sudan” vision by uniting fractured factions into a broad civilian political front.
However, deep-seated military divisions and recent bloody battles in the Blue Nile region heavily cloud the prospects of success.
Neither Ethiopian officials nor al-Hilu have formally responded to the invitation amid complex alliances binding both warring sides.
