بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The Role of Neighboring Countries in the Sudanese War
(Translated)
Al-Rayah Newspaper - Issue 602 - 03/06/2026
By: Ustadh Ibrahim Mushrif *
Sudan is surrounded by a number of countries, creations of the Sykes-Picot Agreement: Egypt to the north, Libya to the northwest, Chad to the west, the Central African Republic to the southwest, South Sudan to the south, Ethiopia to the southeast, Eritrea to the east, and the Red Sea, beyond which lies Saudi Arabia, to the northeast. This has given these countries an influence on the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces militias, whether through the influx of refugees into their territories, or through their active participation in the war via political or military means.
In May 2023, the Saudi role began with the Jeddah Platform, a negotiating track jointly sponsored by Saudi Arabia and the United States. The US entrusted Saudi Arabia with the peace process in this war, and thus the Jeddah Platform was established on Monday, May 22, 2023. Then, at the behest of the US, ceasefires proliferated.
America is the one driving events in Sudan and controlling the Jeddah negotiations. The agreement signed by the two parties in Jeddah was confirmed by the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Molly Phee, during her meetings in Addis Ababa from May 14-16, 2023. She provided information about the Jeddah talks aimed at securing a short-term ceasefire to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid. This was followed by meetings of the US-led Quartet in Washington, namely the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, which Burhan initially rejected. He later expressed his willingness to work with US President Trump, and at the conclusion of an official visit to Riyadh at the invitation of Mohammad Bin Salman, he affirmed Sudan’s commitment to working with President Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Trump’s Special Envoy for Peace in Sudan, Massad Boulos, in efforts to achieve peace and end the war. Thus, Saudi Arabia played a role in the Sudanese war to consolidate Burhan’s rule, a fact that became evident when, three months into the conflict, on Thursday, July 13, 2023, the summit of Sudan’s neighboring countries ended in Cairo. This summit was convened to thwart the efforts of the European-backed Sudanese opposition parties to take over the peace process. The Cairo Conference of Neighboring Countries appealed to the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces to end the war, and called for an inclusive dialogue free from foreign interference.
The conference began two months after the outbreak of the conflict in mid-April 2023, with the aim of addressing the severe deterioration of the humanitarian situation and providing food, shelter, healthcare, and protection for millions. This was precisely what America, the instigator of the war, intended: a solution limited to a truce and the opening of humanitarian corridors, in order to eliminate or curtail British influence in Sudan and, if it so desired, to separate the Darfur region. It instructed Sisi, Trump’s “favorite dictator,” to play the political role in consolidating Burhan’s rule. Meetings took place between Egypt, Boulos, and the US State Department to facilitate Egypt's political role.
As for Libya and its relationship with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a November 2025 report by the US-based watchdog organization, The Sentry, stated that forces loyal to Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar were supplying the RSF with smuggled fuel on behalf of the UAE. Chad's intervention in this senseless war is to supply the RSF with provisions and ammunition via the Adré border crossing, under the guise of humanitarian aid. The Central African Republic (CAR) has not been immune to the Sudanese conflict, particularly after the closure of the Adré crossing. The RSF’s control of the border town of Um Dafuq in South Darfur State in mid-June 2023 is a significant development. This town is the only trade route connecting Sudan and CAR, and the Um Dafuq crossing is considered a highly strategic area for the RSF, whose main areas of influence are in western Sudan, especially after Chad closed its border with Sudan, thus cutting off supply lines and the movement of fighters between the two countries.
The newly independent state of South Sudan, whose lifeline is northern Sudan, serves as a major conduit for arms shipments to the RSF under the guise of humanitarian aid, and for opening new battlefronts along the Blue Nile and Kadugli borders, a tactic known as stretching the periphery. Al Jazeera reported on December 12, 2025, that South Sudan’s army chief, Paul Nang, stated his country had deployed troops to Sudan to protect the strategic Heglig oil field near the border, days after it was seized by the RSF, amidst ongoing clashes in Kordofan. General Nang confirmed that the deployment was approved by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, Sudanese Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). The army’s official spokesperson, Brigadier General Asim Awad Abdul Wahab, stated that drones launched from Bahir Dar Airport in Ethiopia conducted hostile sorties within Sudanese airspace, targeting military and civilian sites, including Khartoum International Airport.
Furthermore, Ethiopia is contributing to this devastating war in Sudan. International reports since the end of last year have revealed the existence of a large training camp within Ethiopian territory for the RSF, equipped with airstrips and drone hangars. These reports, supported by satellite imagery, also indicated dozens of flights transporting weapons supplies to the Rapid Support Forces.
Regarding Eritrea’s involvement in the Sudanese war, on May 4, 2023, The Independent reported that the Eritrean president admitted his government supported Sudanese army chief Burhan after the fall of the previous regime, “not for personal reasons, but because he represents the country’s primary sovereign institution, the army.”
Moreover, Eritrea is opening a new supply route for Burhan. Al-Arab Newspaper and others reported on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, “Consistent Ethiopian reports revealed that the Sudanese army resorted to Eritrean territory to secure vital weapons shipments, including anti-aircraft systems, Turkish and Iranian drones, barrel bombs, and spare parts, fueling the brutal war that has been raging since 2023.”
This is how America manages the Sudanese war through the Sykes-Picot states. Moreover, this is the state of the rulers of Muslims; they care nothing for the people or their security, only for clinging to power, thrones, and their masters.
It is truly regrettable that our country has become an arena of conflict for colonialist powers, even though the countries surrounding us are Muslim, and the majority of their inhabitants are Muslim. This is a consequence of the yoke of subjugation that binds the rulers of Muslims. The land and its people will not be liberated from the shackles of colonialism except by the resumption of the Islamic way of life through the establishment of the Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly Guided Caliphate) on the Method of the Prophethood. Then, by the Permission of Allah (swt), justice will be served. Allah (swt) said,
[وَسَيَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَيَّ مُنْقَلَبٍ يَنْقَلِبُونَ] “And those who have wronged will know to what kind of return they will be returned” [TMQ Surah Ash-Shuaraa': 227].
* Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Sudan