Sudan Peace Quartet Meeting Postponed After Egypt-UAE Clash

A high-level meeting of the Sudan peace "quartet"—comprising the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates—was abruptly postponed this week due to escalating tensions between Cairo and Abu Dhabi over how to manage Sudan’s transition process, diplomatic sources told AFP.

The summit, which was scheduled to take place in Washington, aimed to push forward negotiations to end the war in Sudan. However, it was derailed by a sharp disagreement over the language of the final joint communiqué.

According to sources, the UAE made a last-minute push to include language that would bar both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from any role in Sudan’s future transitional governance. Egypt strongly objected to the proposal, calling it "totally unacceptable."

Widening Rift Between Key Regional Players

Although Egypt and the UAE have historically cooperated on regional matters, they now find themselves supporting opposing sides in Sudan’s devastating war. Cairo, long aligned with Sudan’s regular army, has insisted on preserving Sudanese national institutions. Abu Dhabi, by contrast, has faced repeated accusations from UN experts and international observers of supporting the RSF in violation of an arms embargo.

“The US circulated a draft that everybody accepted, including the UAE, but Egypt did not accept the part that said the transitional period should not be controlled by any of the warring parties,” a diplomatic source said.

The Biden administration, which has been pressing for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, decided to postpone the meeting in hopes of bridging the divide at a later date.

Mounting Humanitarian Toll

The war, which erupted on April 15, 2023, between the army and the RSF, has already claimed tens of thousands of lives. The fighting, originally centered in Khartoum, has since spread across the country and triggered what the United Nations describes as the world's largest hunger and displacement crisis.

The RSF recently declared a rival government in territories under its control in western and southern Sudan, while the army maintains authority over the center, north, and east.

Analysts warn that external support for both sides has entrenched the conflict, making mediation increasingly complex. The UN has repeatedly criticized foreign actors for fueling the war, noting that much of Sudan's gold exports—widely believed to be financing the RSF—are routed through the UAE.