Aljazeera.net correspondents
Khartoum- The US administration threw its weight behind persuading the Sudanese leadership to include army representatives in negotiations with the Rapid Support Forces to stop the fighting, a week before the talks were scheduled to take place in Switzerland. Washington responded to questions from the Sudanese Foreign Ministry before Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The US State Department called on the two parties to the conflict in Sudan to hold negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, on August 14, with the participation of Saudi Arabia as the host country, along with Switzerland, in addition to the United Nations, the African Union, Egypt, and the UAE as observers, to discuss a cessation of fighting and the delivery of humanitarian aid to those affected.
On Monday, Burhan asked US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to address the Sudanese government’s “concerns” before any negotiations begin. He said on the X platform that he received a phone call from Blinken, who spoke to him “about the need to address the government’s concerns before any negotiations, and informed him that the rebel militia is attacking and besieging El Fasher and preventing the passage of food to the displaced people of Zamzam camp.”
In turn, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that Blinken spoke with Burhan and stressed the need for the Sudanese Armed Forces to participate in the ceasefire talks in Switzerland.
Blinken also stressed the need to urgently end the fighting and enable unhindered humanitarian access, including across borders and across lines, to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people.
For his part, Cameron Hudson, the former official in charge of the Sudan file in the administration of President Barack Obama and currently an expert at the Atlantic Council, said in a tweet on the “X” platform that the most important thing that distinguishes Blinken's conversation with Burhan is his recognition of him as the head of the Sovereignty Council and the head of state on the ground, and not just one of the parties to the conflict, and he considered it a good step towards the Geneva negotiations.
Exchanged messages
Sources close to the Sovereignty Council revealed to Al Jazeera Net that the letter from the US State Department, which was received by its Sudanese counterpart on July 22, included an invitation to the army and was addressed to Burhan as the commander of the army and not the head of the Sovereignty Council, and set the agenda and date for negotiations with the Rapid Support Forces, the host countries and the monitoring bodies.
The sources – who requested anonymity – explained that a cell from the Sovereignty Council and the Foreign Ministry discussed the American speech and responded to Washington through questions that included the government's concerns.
The questions included:
- The reason for sending the invitation to Burhan in his military capacity without naming the head of the Sovereignty Council.
- Sudan was not consulted by mediators and observers, some of whom support the Rapid Support Forces.
- And the failure to implement the “Jeddah Declaration” signed in May 2023, according to the same sources.
According to sovereign sources, the US State Department contacted its Sudanese counterpart at the end of last week, and informed it of its recognition of Burhan as head of the Sovereignty Council and its readiness to use the title in official invitations, and to consult between the two sides through a joint meeting that it suggested would be held outside Sudan, and that the Declaration of Principles signed in Jeddah would be a reference for the Geneva negotiations, and to give priority to implementing what was agreed upon.
The US State Department explained that the countries that were granted observer status for the Geneva negotiations will not be part of the mediation, but will contribute to stopping the war.
Sufficient guarantees
For his part, the editor-in-chief of Al-Tayyar newspaper, writer Osman Mirghani, believes that the American side provided Burhan with enough to convince him to send the army delegation to Switzerland.
According to Mirghani's statement to Al Jazeera Net, Burhan continued to face the dilemma of making a decision about engaging in the Swiss negotiations for fear of provoking the political forces aligned with him, which are betting on a complete military solution.
The spokesman believes that there was no real gap between Burhan and the US administration, but rather a gap between the political forces supporting the army and Washington, as these forces see that the Coordination of Democratic and Civilian Forces “Progress” headed by Abdullah Hamdok, its competitor, enjoys European and American support, and is trying to monopolize the post-war future.
As for researcher and political analyst Khaled Saad, he believes that the United States, for reasons of its own and others related to the complexities of the humanitarian situation, is trying to accelerate steps to calm the situation in Sudan.
Washington, according to what the researcher told Al Jazeera Net, is keen on peace in Sudan based on its interests in the region and its competition with Russia, in addition to its pledges to protect a number of countries in the region from the security risks that could result from the scenario of Sudan’s collapse.
The researcher believes that the US State Department's response, followed by Blinken's phone call with Burhan, responded to Sudanese concerns aimed at mobilizing a position within and around the military establishment, and that it would support negotiations instead of the dominant vision calling for the option of dealing with the crisis militarily only.
Saad expects the army to participate in the negotiations, whether on the specified date or at another agreed-upon time, as long as these concerns are taken into account in advance.