African Union rejects foreign interference in Sudan as it seeks new peace push

The African Union has rejected foreign interference and efforts to establish rival governments in Sudan, warning that outside involvement is prolonging a war that has fractured the country and displaced millions of people.

The message came as a delegation from the AU's Peace and Security Council began a two-day visit to Sudan, part of a renewed attempt by the continental body to press for a ceasefire, improve humanitarian access and revive a political process after more than three years of war.

Mohamed Khaled, the Algerian diplomat serving as the council's rotating chairman, delivered the position during talks with Sudan's army chief and Sovereignty Council chairman, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, at the presidential palace in Khartoum on Sunday.

Khaled condemned foreign interference in Sudan's affairs, saying such involvement "fuels the conflict", and rejected attempts to create parallel political entities that could threaten the country's unity and sovereignty.

"The only path to achieving lasting peace in Sudan is through dialogue, national reconciliation and reaching a comprehensive political settlement that meets the aspirations of the Sudanese people," he said, according to Sudan's Sovereignty Council.

The remarks come as Sudan has effectively splintered into competing zones of control. The Sudanese Armed Forces, led by Burhan, have regained control of much of Khartoum and central Sudan, while the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) remain entrenched across large parts of Darfur. Kordofan, which links central Sudan to the west and south, has emerged as another major battleground. Neither side, despite shifts on the battlefield, has achieved a decisive victory.

The RSF and its allies have also established the Sudan Founding Alliance, known as Tasis, a rival political structure opposed to the army-backed authorities. The AU has been trying to engage the political wings associated with both camps while resisting a formal partition of Sudan.

Khaled welcomed the army-backed government's return to operating from Khartoum, describing it as important for restoring state institutions and basic services. But he also called for a more inclusive transition, urging Sudan's government and political forces to work towards a national consensus that could eventually lead to a constitutional government chosen through free elections.

Prime Minister Kamil Idris told the AU delegation earlier on Sunday that a Sudanese-led national dialogue would "begin soon".

An AU return to Khartoum

The visit coincides with a broader effort by the African Union to restore a permanent political presence in Sudan after withdrawing its personnel when fighting engulfed Khartoum in April 2023.

The AU is moving to reopen its liaison office in the capital, a step that could give it a more direct role in mediation after more than three years of largely remote diplomacy. The office would also make the AU the only member of a five-member diplomatic grouping that includes the United Nations, European Union, Arab League and regional bloc IGAD to maintain a political presence inside Sudan.

The Institute for Security Studies said on Monday that the return presented the AU with a "narrow, but real" opportunity to exert greater pressure for a ceasefire and maintain direct channels with Sudanese political and military actors. But it warned that the organisation would have to avoid appearing aligned with Burhan's government simply because it is returning to the capital controlled by his forces.

That dilemma goes to the heart of the AU's latest intervention. Recognition from continental and international organisations would bolster the legitimacy of the army-backed government. But an effective mediation effort would require the AU to speak not only with Burhan's authorities, but with the RSF, civilian political movements, trade unions and other groups that have been largely sidelined by the country's armed factions.

The AU has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian access and an inclusive political process under African leadership. Its Peace and Security Council first laid out a roadmap for ending the conflict in May 2023.

But successive diplomatic efforts have failed to stop the fighting. The army and RSF agreed in Jeddah in May 2023 to commitments intended to protect civilians, followed by temporary ceasefire arrangements, but the deals repeatedly collapsed.

The war erupted in April 2023 after months of mounting tensions between the army and the RSF over control of the security apparatus and plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the regular military during a proposed transition to civilian rule.

It followed years of political turmoil after the overthrow of longtime president Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and the military's subsequent dismantling of a civilian-military power-sharing arrangement in October 2021.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions uprooted since the conflict began, creating one of the world's gravest humanitarian crises.