{"id":53850,"date":"2025-09-05T01:50:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T22:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/?p=53850"},"modified":"2025-09-05T01:50:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T22:50:11","slug":"sudan-between-washington-and-abu-dhabi-renewed-dialogue-and-the-dilemma-of-alliances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/05\/sudan-between-washington-and-abu-dhabi-renewed-dialogue-and-the-dilemma-of-alliances\/","title":{"rendered":"Sudan Between Washington and Abu Dhabi: Renewed Dialogue and the Dilemma of Alliances"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sudan Events \u2013 Agencies<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Sudanese war witnessed a notable development in August with a secret meeting in Zurich between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of the Sovereign Council, and Donald Trump\u2019s senior adviser for African affairs, Paulos. Lasting three hours, the encounter was more than a communication channel\u2014it was a test of Washington\u2019s conditions and Khartoum\u2019s readiness to engage in a diplomatic settlement, at a time when the UAE\u2019s controversial role looms ever larger.<\/p>\n

Islamists: Washington\u2019s and Burhan\u2019s Stumbling Block<\/strong><\/p>\n

Among the key issues raised by the U.S. administration was the presence of Islamists linked to former president Omar al-Bashir. Washington regards their return\u2014whether through the military or militias\u2014as a dual threat: first, to the possibility of a democratic civilian transition, long a stated American objective; and second, to its counterterrorism efforts. Paulos pressed Burhan to sideline senior officers tied to the old regime. Within a week, Port Sudan dismissed dozens of officers, a move seen as a direct response to U.S. pressure.<\/p>\n

The deeper dilemma lies in Islamist militias, foremost the al-Baraa ibn Malik group, which played a pivotal role in the government\u2019s counteroffensive earlier this year. Western observers view its young commander, Musbah Abu Zeid Talha, as a symbol of Islamists\u2019 reemergence through informal channels. Despite his brief detention in Cairo, mediation by Port Sudan secured his release, highlighting the enduring influence of these networks.<\/p>\n

The Integration Project and Unified Forces<\/strong><\/p>\n

Burhan\u2019s pledge to integrate Darfur\u2019s allied armed groups\u2014those led by Minni Minnawi and Jibril Ibrahim\u2014into the national army is both an attempt to restructure the military on a centralized basis and a reassurance to the West that he controls the battlefield and is curbing \u201cunruly\u201d actors. Yet, the project still lacks a timeline and clear mechanisms, making it appear more like a political commitment than an actionable plan.<\/p>\n

Washington\u2019s Stick and Carrot<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Trump administration signaled readiness to reopen the file on security cooperation and counterterrorism with Sudan, and even to review some sanctions on Burhan, including those tied to chemical weapons use. This \u201ccarrot\u201d is balanced by the \u201cstick\u201d of war crimes and democratic transition files, which Washington continues to hold over Khartoum. The direction will likely become clearer during the UN General Assembly in New York, where Burhan and civilian Prime Minister Kamel al-Tayeb Idris are set to attend.<\/p>\n

The UAE Predicament and U.S. Ambivalence<\/strong><\/p>\n

The thorniest issue remains the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). Backed discreetly by the UAE, the RSF is, for Washington, an indispensable actor in any settlement. Yet the Trump administration prefers to keep its dealings with Abu Dhabi off the record, while the UAE denies any involvement in supporting the RSF or the war.<\/p>\n

Tensions between the partners surfaced publicly in late July, when Washington abruptly canceled a \u201cSudan Quartet\u201d meeting (the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE) over disagreements with Abu Dhabi about the wording of a joint statement. The incident exposed the rift between Washington\u2019s approach\u2014favoring containment of both the army and RSF\u2014and Abu Dhabi\u2019s direct support for one side, with all the consequences that entails for the battlefield and the fate of al-Fashir and Darfur.<\/p>\n

Between Dialogue and Escalation<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the end, the resumption of U.S.-Sudan dialogue reflects Washington\u2019s desire to regain a grip on the Sudanese conflict after a period of retreat and distraction. Yet it simultaneously places Burhan in a difficult test: sidelining Islamists and integrating armed groups may earn him international legitimacy but could weaken his domestic base and sow divisions within the army.<\/p>\n

For the UAE, the situation is increasingly awkward. Its undeclared backing of Hemedti is now an obstacle to alignment with Washington, even as the latter pushes for a new diplomatic track.<\/p>\n

Sudan thus stands at a crossroads: between U.S. pressure to impose conditions and Abu Dhabi\u2019s role in fueling the war and complicating any settlement. The result is that each new round of diplomacy hinges on whether the parties can overcome these dilemmas, while the war continues to drain both Sudanese society and the state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sudan Events \u2013 Agencies The Sudanese war witnessed a notable development in August with a secret meeting in Zurich between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of the Sovereign Council, and Donald Trump\u2019s senior adviser for African affairs, Paulos. Lasting three hours, the encounter was more than a communication channel\u2014it was a test of Washington\u2019s conditions …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":53851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53850"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53852,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53850\/revisions\/53852"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}