Egypt rejects attempts to form parallel government in Sudan, says 'territorial integrity is a red line'

Egypt rejected on Sunday attempts aimed at establishing a rival government in Sudan, warning that such moves jeopardised the “unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the war-torn country.

Sudan has been locked in a war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for nearly two years, plunging the country into what the United Nations describes as one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory.

A week ago, the RSF and its allies signed a charter in Kenya declaring the formation of a “government of peace and unity” in areas under their control.

“Egypt expresses its rejection of any attempts that threaten the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of brotherly Sudan, including the pursuit of forming a parallel Sudanese government,” a statement from Cairo’s foreign ministry said Sunday.

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It added that such actions “complicate the situation in Sudan, hinder ongoing efforts to unify political visions and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis”.

Egypt also called on “all Sudanese forces to prioritise the country’s supreme national interest and to engage positively in launching a comprehensive political (peace) process without exclusion or external interference”.

Last week, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty voiced the same stance in a press conference alongside his Sudanese counterpart Ali Youssef.

“Sudan’s territorial integrity is a red line for Egypt,” he said, adding that his country “rejects any calls to establish alternative structures outside the current framework”.

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The paramilitaries’ move to form a rival government has drawn sharp criticism, including from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who warned it would “further deepen Sudan’s fragmentation”.

Saudi Arabia, which previously mediated ceasefire talks between the warring sides, also rejected the RSF’s move.

In a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency on Friday, Riyadh’s foreign ministry warned against “any step or illegal measure taken outside the framework of official institutions”.

Kuwait echoed that position on Friday, saying it rejected “any unlawful actions taken outside the framework of legitimate state institutions” in Sudan, calling them “a threat to its territorial unity”.

At a UN Human Rights Council dialogue on Friday, Saudi Arabia’s Gulf neighbour Qatar also expressed its support for “Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity”.

The United Arab Emirates, which has repeatedly been accused of supplying the RSF with weapons – claims it has denied– has not commented yet.