Washington Meeting on Sudan thwarted by Egypt 

In a development that reflects the depth of the Sudanese crisis, a four-way summit scheduled for the end of the month between the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE has been canceled. The summit was expected to discuss efforts to end the escalating war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

According to informed diplomatic sources, the cancellation of the meeting was the result of a firm Egyptian rejection of US efforts calling for a political transitional period that excludes the two parties to the conflict —the Sudanese Army and RSF— in an attempt to formulate a settlement led by neutral civilian figures under international auspices.

However, Egypt, which maintains close ties with the ruling military establishment in Sudan, objected to the proposal, viewing it as an indirect targeting of its military allies in Sudan. According to observers, the Egyptian position reflects a strategy aimed at preserving the current military regime as the sole guarantor of Cairo’s security and economic interests.

This Egyptian firm refusal, despite the Saudi and Emirati sides’ agreement to discuss and reach an agreement, effectively undermined the efforts of the International Quartet and obstructed what was considered an important attempt to build consensus amongst the four countries on resolving the conflict.

Through its insistence to support the military option in Sudan, Egypt is effectively obliterating the chances of international consensus-based solutions and obstructing efforts to establish a comprehensive peaceful transition model. The crisis also highlights the West’s failure to provide a unified vision for the post-military coup era and invokes renewed questions regarding the effectiveness of its contradictory interventions in the continent’s affairs.