El-Burhan in Cairo… A New Beginning and Due Changes

Cairo –Sudanhorizon – Sabah Musa

A brief visit by the Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to Cairo may reflect a new chapter in the pursuit of peace in the region, and may even announce that Sudan is the next stop on the way for resolving ifficult crises.

Participating Delegation

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Wednesday received Lieutenant General al-Burhan, in the presence of Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr. Badr Abdel Aati and Head of Egyptian General Intelligence Major General Hassan Rashad. Present on the Sudanese side were Foreign Minister Mohieddin Salem, Director General of the General Intelligence Service Lieutenant General Ahmed Ibrahim Mufadhal, and Sudanese Ambassador to Cairo Emad Eddin Adawy.

Discussing Developments
In a statement issued by the Egyptian Presidency, its official spokesperson, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shenawy, explained that developments on the ground in Sudan were discussed, as well as international and regional efforts aimed at stopping the war and achieving stability in Sudan. He stated that El-Sisi affirmed the principles of Egypt’s position on Sudan, emphasizing Egypt’s full support for Sudan’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and its categorical rejection of any attempts that would threaten its security, undermine its national cohesion, or form any governing entities parallel to the legitimate Sudanese government.

Egyptian Support
For his part, the Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council has expressed his deep appreciation for Egypt’s continued support and the President’s efforts in this regard. This reflects the depth of fraternal relations between the two peoples and contributes to Sudan’s efforts to resolve the current crisis and restore security and stability.

The official spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency added that the meeting addressed the importance of the Quadripartite Mechanism as an umbrella for efforts to resolve the Sudanese crisis, end the war, and achieve the desired stability.

The two presidents expressed their hope that the Quadripartite Mechanism meeting, to be held in Washington this October, would yield tangible results aimed at reaching an end to the war and resolving the crisis.

The official spokesperson indicated that the meeting addressed developments in the Nile water issue, and that both sides reiterated their categorical rejection of any unilateral measures taken on the Blue Nile, which contravene relevant provisions of international law.

In this regard, Al-Burhan emphasized the unity of position between Egypt and Sudan and the convergence of their interests regarding the Ethiopian dam issue.

In this context, the two presidents agreed to strengthen and intensify consultation and coordination mechanisms between the two countries to ensure the protection of shared water rights.

Peace Momentum
Al-Burhan’s visit to Cairo this time comes as the region is experiencing a momentum for peace brought by the Sharm el-Sheikh summit.

This gives a strong impetus that the promise of peace may be the most prominent theme in the coming period, helping to end some of the most difficult and violent conflicts.
Al-Burhan’s unscheduled visit to the Egyptian capital also reflects the fact that there is much and important questions the two presidents wanted to discuss at this time, especially with the Chairman of the Sovereign Council scheduled to visit Egypt at the end of this month to attend the opening of the Egyptian Museum. This means that Al-Burhan’s arrival in Cairo two weeks before the visit was urgent and necessary.

A Different Talk
In the few hours that Al-Burhan visited Cairo yesterday, there was widespread talk of a meeting between the Chairman of the Sovereign Council and former Prime Minister Dr. Abdalla Hamdok, as well as the US President’s envoy to the region, Massad Boulos. This has not been proven , as it remains merely hearsay and speculation . However, the visit confirms that there may be a different discussion about how to deal with the ceasefire in Sudan, given the framework for a solution proposed by the International Quartet—the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.

Despite Sudan’s rejection of the vision previously put forward by the Quartet, Egypt’s presence in the meeting represents a major reassuring factor of security for Sudan.

It appears that Cairo sought to coordinate with Sudan before the upcoming Quartet meeting scheduled for the end of this October. Cairo—which has clearly become a regional partner in resolving regional crises, and the situation in Sudan is naturally at the forefront of these crises—may have a new approach that seeks to reconcile Sudan’s categorical rejection of an Emirate role with the Quartet’s vision. Can Cairo play this role, which affirms its firm principles of non-interference in Sudan’s domestic affairs, preserving its national institutions, and not compromising its unity, security, and stability? And its territorial integrity?

Bringing the Parties Together
Cairo can also continue its role in bringing the Sudanese political parties together again. In July of last year, it succeeded in achieving this major breakthrough by bringing together the Sudanese parties for the first time since the outbreak of the war on April 15, 2023.

The African Union has failed to play such a role in the three sessions, two of which actually took place in Addis Ababa. Most Sudanese political forces have reservations about the third meeting, which was scheduled for early this month.

Cairo will likely focus on the Sudanese issue after achieving significant successes in the Gaza file. Egypt is expected to take action on the Sudanese crisis in the coming days, on its three tracks: a ceasefire, a political solution, and a humanitarian one

The Greater Partner
It is clear that the international community has become convinced that Egypt is the most capable partner in resolving the Sudanese crisis, and that its contributions for a solution in Sudan are unavoidable.

This comes at a time when the Sudanese leadership has complete confidence in the Egyptian position. It seems that the time has come for the Sudanese crisis to end with a solution acceptable to the Sudanese people.

But how can this be achieved on the ground, given the trend toward imposing an option that would allow the Rapid Support Forces militia to return to the Sudanese political scene once again? This is something that the majority of the Sudanese people certainly reject. Therefore, Cairo has a major role to play with out-of-the-box ideas to resolve this crisis, the real beginning of which should be the correct characterization of the crisis in Sudan as a rebellion against the state, so that it can achieve satisfactory results

As for the process of imposing solutions to serve regional and international agendas, it has been proven beyond doubt that it will only prolong the war, in which the Sudanese people themselves have become a primary party.

Important Timing
Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister and former official in charge of the Sudan file at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Hossam Issa, believes that the visit comes at an important time, both in terms of bilateral relations between the two countries and developments in Sudan. He also notes that the visit takes advantage of the momentum in the region following the success of the Sharm el-Sheikh Conference, the achievement of a ceasefire, and the great appreciation for Egypt’s role.

He points to the military developments on the ground, the massacres committed recently by the militia in the bombing of the Al-Arqam shelter in El Fasher, the raids on Ad-Dabba and Omdurman, the civilian casualties, the siege of El Fasher and the starvation of its people. He also points to the victories scored by the army in Kordofan.

Coordination between the two sides
Eissa, the former Egyptian ambassador to Khartoum, told Sudanhorizon that the visit also comes as the Quartet will hold a meeting this month.

between the two sides was essential so that the outcomes of this meeting would be consistent with developments in the military field and the goals of the armed forces, especially since Egypt is the closest of the Quartet to the Sudanese state.

He added that this visit comes within the framework of completing arrangements related to the voluntary return of a large number of Sudanese after the army liberated a large number of cities in the country.
He pointed to the joint projects currently underway to rehabilitate the Shambat and Halfaya Bridges, the Wadi Halfaya Port, and increase the electrical connection between the two countries

He stressed that no crisis in the region could possibly be resolved without Egypt participation. It is clear that the visit also came to send a clear message to Ethiopia as a result of its reckless handling of the Renaissance Dam and its failure to adhere to relevant international laws

He said that this recklessness was evident recently in the opening of the dam’s gates without coordination with the two downstream countries, which led to untimely floods in Sudan, for which it was not prepared. He added that had it not been for the presence of The High Dam it would have caused significant damage to Egypt.

The Quartet’s Reference

For his part, Osman Mirghani, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Tayyar newspaper, pointed out that the Egyptian visit’s statement addressed the importance of the Quartet Mechanism as an umbrella for efforts to resolve the Sudanese crisis, stop the war, and achieve the desired stability.

He added that the two presidents expressed their hope that the upcoming Quartet Mechanism meeting would yield tangible results aimed at reaching a ceasefire and a settlement to the crisis.

Mirghani said in his column “Hadith Al-Madina- Town Gossip” today, Thursday, that the situation has gone beyond recognizing the Quartet’s reference in resolving the Sudanese crisis to practical engagement in the solution arrangements and roadmap. He added, “This practically means that the Quartet has inaugurated its transformation into a quintet (with Sudan’s official joining in ), or perhaps, to be more precise, it can be described as having become a 4+1 (mechanism).” He continued, “But does Sudan’s joining in provide a guarantee for achieving the desired solution? Of course not.”

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