A report in the London-based daily Al-Arab says Egypt may be pivoting toward Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo after his Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured the desert triangle where Sudan meets Egypt and Libya, signaling a possible realignment in the year-old Sudanese conflict.
Border breakthrough
Dagalo—known as Hemedti—told supporters in a video address from Darfur that he is ready for “direct dialogue” with Cairo to resolve outstanding disputes. The overture came days after RSF fighters swept into the long-contested triangle, a corridor notorious for smuggling and clandestine migration routes.
Cairo’s silence fuels speculation
Egypt has issued no formal response, but Al-Arab notes that the quiet in Cairo’s foreign-policy circles contrasts sharply with past condemnations of RSF advances. Analysts quoted by the paper say Egyptian officials now see little strategic benefit in backing General al-Burhan’s forces (SAF) which has lost territory and political clout.
“Cairo is adopting a pragmatic stance,” Sudanese political analyst Hatim Elias told the paper. “Supporting Burhan no longer guarantees stability, and the RSF now controls critical ground.”
Reassurances and warnings
In his speech, Dagalo stressed “respect for our Egyptian neighbors” and said the RSF’s presence could help curb trafficking and militant infiltration. Retired Egyptian envoy Salah Halima called the message both soothing and cautionary: “He invites talks to avoid confrontation while reminding Egypt he is already on its doorstep.”
Internal jockeying
Dagalo also extended an olive branch to rebel leaders currently aligned with the SAF, including Darfur governor Minni Arko Minnawi and Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim, saying the RSF “welcomes them if they come today.”
At the same time, pro-SAF political factions in Port Sudan petitioned interim Prime Minister Kamil Idris for a bigger voice in forming a new cabinet, accusing Burhan loyalists of monopolizing decisions.
The London report highlights how swiftly the conflict’s balance of power is tilting: the SAF’s domestic support base is fracturing, regional recognition of the RSF is growing, and Egypt is weighing whether accommodation might safeguard its own border security.
While Cairo deliberates, the RSF is moving to translate battlefield gains into political leverage, deepening Sudan’s fluid and unpredictable landscape.
From our vantage point, The Sudan Times concurs with Al-Arab: Cairo’s calculated pause signals a readiness to deal with whoever controls the ground, and right now that is Dagalo. With the SAF’s leverage shrinking and international actors quietly engaging the RSF, Egypt’s next steps could turn a tactical silence into a full realignment—one that would reshape security equations from Darfur to the Nile.
