Sudan’s International Presence: The Missing African Link

Sudanhorizon — Mariam Abshir
President of the Sovereignty Council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, is expected to attend the second World Summit on Social Development at the head-of-state and government level, to be held under the auspices of the United Nations in Doha on 4 November.
According to follow-up reports, al-Burhan will precede his participation in the Doha summit by accepting an invitation from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to attend the opening ceremonies for the Grand Egyptian Museum at the end of October.
It had been planned that the Sovereignty Council president’s attendance at the two upcoming summits would be preceded by his participation in the Arab-Russian summit, which was postponed following developments in the Middle East after the announcement of understandings to halt the war in Gaza.
An international platform
The much-anticipated second Doha World Summit on Social Development is being presented as a platform for global dialogue and joint action — a gathering of government leaders, international and non-governmental organisations, civil society, the private sector, academic institutions and the UN system to discuss social development at the highest levels and to advance social progress so that no country is left behind in the pursuit of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, according to the UN’s implementation plan.
Not the first
The Sovereignty Council president’s upcoming foreign engagements form part of a continuous sequence that began with active participation in the UN General Assembly in 2023 and 2024 — the largest international forum. This year, Sudan was represented by the Prime Minister of the civilian government, offering the civilian administration an opportunity to present itself to the international community and enabling numerous meetings with civil society, institutions and international and regional organisations to clarify the realities on the ground in Sudan amid the war, now in its third year.
Last year, the Sovereignty Council president also took part in the Forum on African Cooperation and Peace with China, which brought together all the African presidents and leaders from China and was a very significant summit.
A senior diplomatic source told Al-Muhaqqiq that Sudan’s participation in Arab summits has been regular, and that the Sovereignty Council president’s attendance at the UN Summit on Financing for Development, held in Madrid in June at the invitation of the UN Secretary-General, underscored Sudan’s important presence on the international stage.
State legitimacy
The diplomatic source pointed out that Sudan, as a pioneering state, was among the first African countries to gain independence and UN membership, adding that Sudan is an important member of the international family and that the international community recognises the importance of supporting the Sudanese state at this time — affirming its sovereignty, protection, independence and support for national legitimacy.
The African connecting link
Observers of Sudan’s post-war situation and its external engagements say the missing element in Sudan’s international presence is the African Union. A government official who spoke to Al-Muhaqqiq said Sudan’s absence weakens the African organisation.
He added that all international forums are keen for Sudan to participate, yet the African Union — despite the formation of a civilian government — has not yet taken the right step to lift the suspension of Sudan’s membership, acknowledging that Sudan constitutes the connecting link between Africa’s regions and that it is illogical to speak of an African Union in Sudan’s absence.
He believes the African Union stands to gain much from Sudan’s return, just as Sudan has an interest in rejoining its African home.
It should be recalled that the African Union froze Sudan’s membership after the army’s measures against the civilian government in October 2021, which the Union deemed a coup against legitimacy; accordingly, it suspended Sudan’s membership until a civilian government is formed to assume power from the army.

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