“Taqaddum” Prepares to Participate in Sudanese Forces Conference in Cairo
The Popular Congress confirmed that Egypt invited a group separated from the party affiliated with the dissolved National Congress to attend the political forces dialogue in Cairo
The Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces “Taqaddum” has decided to accept an Egyptian invitation to participate in a conference of Sudanese political forces in Cairo to discuss ending the war and addressing humanitarian issues.
Egypt plans to organize a conference for Sudanese political and civil forces next weekend, a step similar to one taken less than two months ago, as part of Cairo’s efforts to contribute to resolving the Sudanese crisis. The conference is expected to see wide participation from Sudanese political forces.
In a statement, the Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces, chaired by former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, announced that it “welcomes the Egyptian invitation to hold a conference for Sudanese political and civil forces on July 6-7 in Cairo to discuss topics of ending the war, addressing the humanitarian crisis, and preparing for a peaceful path to resolving the crisis.”
“Taqaddum” expressed its gratitude to the Arab Republic of Egypt for its efforts to end the war in Sudan, emphasizing its commitment to contributing to peace efforts in Sudan.
It added, “From this standpoint, the components of the Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces (Taqaddum) will participate in the conference to seriously contribute to exploring ways to end the armed conflict and establish sustainable peace in our country.”
The coordination affirmed that it would prioritize addressing the overwhelming humanitarian catastrophe affecting people inside the country and in displacement and refugee areas, indicating that it would present its visions on how to accelerate efforts for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Sudan.
“Taqaddum” calls for ending the war through peaceful means and states that it “remains neutral and equidistant from both sides of the conflict, the Sudanese army, and the Rapid Support Forces,” while some leaders of Bashir’s regime and army accuse it of “supporting the Rapid Support Forces.”
During a year and a half of war in Sudan, Cairo has hosted several meetings to discuss the situation in Sudan, as part of Egyptian efforts to stop the fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, which have resulted in thousands of deaths and millions of displacements within the country and to neighboring countries, raising fears of division and fragmentation of the country.
In early May, Egypt hosted a conference attended by eight major Sudanese political blocs, bringing together more than 50 political organizations, armed movements, professional and religious unions, which culminated in the signing of the “National Charter,” presenting a framework vision for governance and calling for the unification of political forces into one entity, proposing a roadmap for a comprehensive solution.
Recently, Cairo has prominently emerged in the Sudanese crisis, leaning towards arrangements to address the political crisis, while Jeddah hosted negotiations for a ceasefire between the conflicting parties, the army, and the Rapid Support Forces.
The Egyptian government attempted to gather the threads of politics by hosting a meeting of the Forces of Freedom and Change – Central Council, followed by a visit by former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok to Cairo last March, where he held meetings with Egyptian actors, focusing on how to contribute to stopping the war.
Before this meeting, the head of the Sovereign Council and army commander, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the end of February, presenting his vision to end the war and establish peace and stability in his country.
On July 13, 2023, Cairo hosted a conference for Sudan’s neighboring countries, calling for an end to the war, full respect for Sudan’s sovereignty and unity, cessation of foreign interventions, and preservation of the Sudanese state. In November 2023, Cairo hosted a conference on humanitarian issues in Sudan, with recommendations covering humanitarian and relief aspects.
The “Sudan Tribune” website, citing informed sources, reported that 18 senior leaders of the forces comprising the “Taqaddum” alliance will participate in the Cairo conference, including the head of its leadership body, Abdullah Hamdok.
Among the participants are the head of the Umma Party, Fadlallah Burma Nasir, the head of the executive office of the Federal Assembly, Babiker Faisal, the head of the Sudanese Congress, Omar al-Digair, the head of the National Baath Party, Kamal Bolad, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement – Transitional Council, Hadi Idris, and the leader of the Sudan Liberation Forces Assembly, Taher Hajar.
According to the sources, the leader of the Popular Movement – Revolutionary Democratic Current, Buthaina Dinar, will participate in the Cairo conference, along with representatives of professionals, unions, civil society, and resistance committees.
The Egyptian government also invited the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement, Minni Arko Minnawi, the head of the Justice and Equality Movement, Jibril Ibrahim, the president of the Revolutionary Front, Malik Agar, the president of the Umma Party, Mubarak al-Fadil, the head of the Supreme Council of Beja and Independent Chieftains, Mohamed al-Amin Turk, and the Democratic Unionist Party led by Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani.
The invitation was also extended to the head of the Popular Front for Liberation and Justice, Amin Daoud, the head of the National Mobilization Forces, Tijani Sese, as well as national figures such as Nour al-Din Sati, Al-Wathig Kameer, Sadiq Ambaida, Alam Abbas, Al-Mahboub Abdel Salam, and Al-Shafi Khidr.
On Sunday, the Popular Congress, led by Ali al-Haj, stated that the invitation to the Cairo conference had been addressed to a group it considers affiliated with the dissolved National Congress and not representing the party, which has been excluded and supports the continuation of the war.
The party noted that a similar invitation had also been extended by the African Union to this group to attend the next round of dialogue in Addis Ababa, and that “Taqaddum” had also refused to sit with them for the same reasons.
“Taqaddum” announced last week that it would boycott the Sudanese dialogue scheduled to be held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, in July if Islamic movements and the dissolved National Congress Party participated.
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“Taqaddum” has previously opposed the inclusion of the dissolved National Congress Party in any political process, stating that “it is unacceptable to allow forces that have destroyed the country and turned all its resources into private properties to participate. They have done everything to make the transitional government fail, first by creating conditions for failure, then by staging a coup, and finally by igniting the war, demonstrating their disregard for the lives and resources of the Sudanese people.”
