Has Egypt quietly taken the UK's place in the Sudan Quartet?

Egypt appears to have replaced Britain in the "Sudan Quartet", which also includes the US, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The development comes following a US State Department statement last week regarding the latest Quartet meeting in Washington, which was attended by the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt, with a UK representative noticeably absent.

The Quartet, also known as the "Quad", was formed in 2021 to facilitate mediation and talks in Sudan between the warring parties and to assist Sudan's transition to a civilian democracy.

Egyptian diplomatic sources revealed to The New Arab's Arabic-language sister edition, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that Cairo had intensified its regional and international efforts in recent weeks regarding the war in Sudan between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The sources added that "the Egyptian leadership has been watching the RSF's expansion in some border areas with concern, as well as being concerned at the influence of certain regional actors who are pushing to legitimise the division within Sudan".

They pointed out that Cairo's moves hadn't been limited to military activity, but had also included "high-level diplomatic efforts in capital cities active on the Sudanese issue."

This had culminated, according to the sources, in Egypt's official accession to the Sudan Quartet.

Egypt replaces the UK, whose role had recently declined due to internal disagreements over how the situation in Sudan should be assessed.

'Natural and logical step'

Ambassador Hossam Eisa, Egypt's former Assistant Foreign Minister for Sudan Affairs, described Egypt's accession to the international Quartet on Sudan as "a natural and logical step".

He said this was due to the deep historical ties between the two countries and Sudan's strategic importance to Egypt as a Nile Valley country, which also overlooks the Red Sea.

He added: "Egypt has demonstrated a high level of effectiveness in the Sudanese issue during the current war—not only through its clear position of support for the Sudanese state and military, but also by hosting around 70 percent of Sudanese who have fled the war - nearly two million refugees - without placing them in detention camps as some other countries have done".

Eisa emphasised that decisions on how to end the war were a responsibility that lay with the Sudanese, "while the role of regional and international powers was limited to facilitating and supporting this process".

Former Sudanese Ambassador to the US, Khidir Haroun, said "Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia agree - to various extents – on the need for the Islamists to be distanced from power in Sudan after the war is over, which is a stance shared by the US and Israel".

However, he said, there were other issues the parties did not agree on, such as the "RSF militia replacing the Sudanese army," which Egypt opposed and the UAE supported.

This was due to conflicting regional interests regarding who ended up governing Sudan, he added.

Strategic military expert Mutassem Abdel Qader said: "Egypt's joining the Quartet reflects this bloc's need for a regional party with balanced and constructive relations with the ruling establishment in Sudan, which could contribute to hastening an end to the war".

This is an edited and abridged translation from our Arabic edition.