Egypt responds to al-Burhan’s request with logistic and military support
Egypt is recently seeking to establish itself as a major and active player in international and regional efforts aimed at finding a solution to the Sudanese crisis. This is done with the objective of securing its shared interests with its southern neighbor. Egypt is pursuing multiple pathways, with the most prominent being the mechanism that brings together the countries neighboring Sudan. The first summit of this mechanism took place in Cairo on July 13th, in addition to its support for the regular Sudanese army.
Egyptian sources stated that Cairo has recently responded to urgent requests presented by the head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, Abdul Fattah Al-Burhan, to support his forces in their conflict with the Rapid Support Forces, led by the deputy head of the council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemetti).
Al-Burhan Requests Egyptian Military Support
According to an informed Egyptian source regarding the relationship between Cairo and al-Burhan, the head of the Sovereignty Council “requested Egyptian logistic and military support to rebalance the power dynamics on the ground.” He made this request during his recent visit to Egypt on August 29th. This was his first visit abroad since the outbreak of the confrontations in Khartoum in mid-April.
The source revealed that during his visit, “al-Burhan briefed the Egyptian president on the precise details of his forces’ situation on the ground, affirming that the distance between his forces and the Rapid Support Forces on the ground is not far, necessitating Egyptian support. He requested supplies of ammunition and reconnaissance drones for his forces.”
The source further stated that “Egypt’s recent support is primarily aimed at expanding the field control of the army forces, making it the most significant player during negotiations for any crisis solutions.” He added that “Cairo’s current stance does not represent support foral-Burhan as an individual but rather support for the regular military institution in Sudan, which Cairo relies on due to the relationships it holds with it, in order to safeguard its interests.”
اليوم أتضح لكم بما لا يدع مجالاً للشك ان كافة الجيوش العربية صنعت من أجل قمع حريات الشعوب العربية وليس من أجل محاربة إسرائيل وكافة الاسلحة التي تخزونها هي ضد اي مظاهر تحرر عربية لو سمح وظهرت فسوف تستخدم عليكم صدقوني وليس علينا أبداً حتى ان البرلمان الأوروبي الذي كان رافضاً فكرة…
— إيدي كوهين אדי כהן 🇮🇱 (@EdyCohen) November 8, 2023
The Egyptian source revealed that “last month, there was a deliberate targeting of Egyptian interests and investments in Sudan by the Rapid Support Forces.” He said, “It goes beyond coincidence, and it seems that these attacks are part of a systematic plan. Until now, officials in Cairo have not forgotten what happened to Egyptian military forces and aircraft in the Merowe base when the confrontations erupted.”
This comes at a time when the United States confirmed that it is “making intensive efforts at present to press the conflicting parties in Sudan to cease hostilities.” The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, stated that the United States is “engaging with all the parties in the region, Sudan’s neighbors, the Arab League, the African Union, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) to unify efforts and pressure both sides to end the war.”
حد عنده معلومة عن مقتل ٦٠ جندي مصري وضمنهم طيار يوم ٥ نوفمبر ٢٠٢٣م الخبر منتشر والاشاعات تزداد حولهم أرجوا الرد والإفادة ،في ناس بتقول كانوا في #السودان وماتوا ع يد قوات الجنجاويد المدعومه من #الامارات ووصول الجثامين إلى مستشفى كوبري القبة العسكري في تكتم شديد .
— محمد صالح العبودي (@aboSaleh1511) November 7, 2023
She added, “We have made it clear to all parties across the region that they should not support either of the Sudanese sides in this unreasonable war.” In this context, the former assistant to the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mohammed El-Arabi, stated “It is not necessary for Egypt to respond to international or American pressure to stop its support for the Sudanese state, including military support.”
On the other hand, the former assistant to the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Rakha Ahmed Hassan, said, “Egypt provides support in all directions and at all levels to Sudan, due to the strong ties between the two sides. This support may include military support for the Sovereignty Council, but this cannot be confirmed as long as there is no Egyptian announcement.”
He added, “No party can pressure Egypt to stop its support for Sudan, as long as it provides support to the official authorities. Egypt considers Sudan an essential part of its national security due to geography and history, and therefore, it is its duty to stand by the Sudanese state against rebellion.”
Expected Agreement between al-Burhan and Hemetti Sudanese writer Faisal Yousif saw that “for Egypt, there are historical relations and mutual interests between the two countries that require more attention.”
The importance of Egypt’s visit lies in that all Sudanese political powers visited Egypt before al-Burhan, indicating the pivotal role of Egypt in various Sudanese files, especially the ongoing conflict. Yousif emphasized that the political developments that will al–Burhan‘s foreign tour will be reflected in the operational reality in Khartoum, which may ultimately lead to an agreement betweenal-Burhan and Hemetti in the next month.
Yousif stressed that “there is a growing Sudanese discourse about the positive impact of al-Burhan’s visit to Egypt and other countries, and its reflection on the strength of the army in facing the Rapid Support Forces. This is especially the case with the opening of a new political front for the Sovereignty Council in Port Sudan in the past few days, in addition to attracting support for the Sudanese army and state during al-Burhan’s foreign tour.”
Meanwhile, Ahmed El-Mufti, the director of the Khartoum International Center for Human Rights, stated that “Egypt is the most aware and influential country in the world about what is happening in Sudan. Despite that, it was marginalized in the previous phase, the framework agreement phase, even though dozens of countries participated in that phase.
After the framework agreement was signed, which was revealed to be a failure, Egypt seized the opportunity and demonstrated its symbolic presence by holding a workshop for Sudanese political forces not signatory to the agreement. However, this yielded no practical results.”
El-Mufti considered that “after the Saudi-American efforts stumbled in reaching ceasefire agreements in Jeddah due to both parties’ non-compliance, both countries confirmed that resorting to the United Nations Security Council was hopeless due to the potential Russian and Chinese veto. the United States moved to operate through the African Union and IGAD, but Sudan thwarted this move.”
El-Mufti considered that Egypt “did not let that golden opportunity slip away, and it held an international conference for Sudan’s neighbors in Cairo, and the United States and Saudi Arabia, along with all international facilitators, were compelled to recognize Egypt’s efforts.”
