{"id":20076755,"date":"2024-03-11T11:44:46","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T10:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20076755"},"modified":"2024-03-16T19:21:39","modified_gmt":"2024-03-16T18:21:39","slug":"high-level-tagaddum-delegation-visits-cairo-for-political-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/high-level-tagaddum-delegation-visits-cairo-for-political-talks","title":{"rendered":"High-level Tagaddum delegation in Cairo for political talks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a remarkable development regarding the political situation in Sudan, the Egyptian government invited the chair of the Civil Democratic Forces, former PM Abdalla Hamdok, to Cairo for talks. Dabanga correspondent Ashraf Abdelaziz spoke with the alliance’s spokesperson Alaaeldin Nugud in Addis Ababa about Hamdok\u2019s current visit to the Egyptian capital.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe visit follows the recent turn in the Egyptian position on the absurd war raging in Sudan, creating one of the largest humanitarian disasters in the world,\u201d Abdelaziz writes. \u201cObservers believe that the Egyptian transformation began with the participation of Egyptian officials in the Manama platform, after which they invited Tagaddum*<\/em> leaders to discuss stopping the war in Sudan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The invitation from the Egyptian government came after a request for a meeting made by the Civil Democratic Forces (Tagaddum<\/em>, meaning progress in Arabic) alliance of Sudanese pro-democratic political parties and groups, including prominent members of the mainstream Forces for Freedom and Change. Tagaddum <\/em>was founded<\/a> in October last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe latest developments, especially the very positive talks in Manama<\/a>, capital of Bahrain, an Egyptian-Emirati initiative that took place in end January between Lt Gen Shamseldin Kabashi, deputy commander-in-chief of Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the deputy commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Gen Abdelrahim Dagalo, paved the way for Egypt\u2019s invitation to the Civil Democratic Forces,\u201d <\/em>Abdelaziz states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in July, the Egyptian authorities organised a summit in Cairo<\/a> for Sudan\u2019s seven neighbouring countries to discuss the consequences of the violent conflict between the SAF and the RSF. The participating leaders agreed to establish a \u2018ministerial mechanism\u2019 aimed at bringing an end to the war. The League of Arab States and the African Union were to implement the summit\u2019s outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All neighbouring countries received tens to hundreds of thousands<\/a> of Sudanese refugees since the fighting broke out on April 15 last year, including Egypt. The continued flow of refugees<\/a> and the disruption of many economic interests are both putting pressure on the Egyptian government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll these factors, in addition to the large and clear influence of Islamists in the army and Sudanese de facto government, and the Iranian support of the RSF in the war, now threatening trade through the Red Sea and the Egyptian Suez Canal, made the climate ripe for Cairo\u2019s invitation of the Sudanese politicians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The high-level Tagaddum<\/em> delegation, chaired by Hamdok, arrived in Cairo on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Egyptian journalist and political analyst Shawqi Abdelazim told Radio Dabanga that day that \u201cthe military leadership in Sudan continued to believe that Egypt was one of its supporters, given the repeated visits of military leaders and [SAF Commander) El Burhan personally to Egypt. It was not a secret that the relationship between the SAF leadership and the Civil Democratic Forces was tense. The army avoided meeting<\/a> with Tagaddum<\/em> for months, and now, through this visit, the way may be opened for a meeting with the SAF leadership, as happened before with the RSF\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manama talks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radio Dabanga correspondent Abdelaziz spoke with Tagaddum<\/em> spokesperson Alaaeldin Nugud in the Ethiopian capital on Saturday about the importance of the alliance\u2019s visit to Cairo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Nugud, the principles agreed on in the Egyptian-backed Manama talks \u201cfully correspond with the roadmap<\/a> Tagaddum <\/em>developed in November last year, including the formation of one professional Sudanese army in a way that guarantees diversity, guarantees justice, and dismantling the remaining Al Bashir cells within the security and military institutions and the civil service. These principles stipulated in the Manama Agreement<\/a> constitute a very big push for an end to the war and the restoration of democracy in Sudan\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New alliances<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian intervention may contribute to the creation of new alliances, and bridge the gap between Tagaddum <\/em>and the FFC-Democratic Bloc<\/a>, consisting of Darfur rebel movements that backed the joint SAF-RSF coup d\u2019\u00e9tat that ousted the government of Hamdok in October 2021, the mainstream Democratic Unionist Party, the Sudanese Ba\u2019ath Party, and the eastern Sudanese High Council for Beja Nazirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are open to meeting all Sudanese political forces, except the dissolved National Congress Party, the Islamic Movement, and their allies,\u201d Nugud said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTaqaddum<\/em> is the product of a broad civil front<\/a> to stop the war, so we welcome any party based on the slogan No to War. The problem lies in those who call for the continuation of the war and have fighters allied to one of the warring parties.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hamdok met earlier with Minni Minawi, governor of Darfur region, head of a Sudan Liberation Front breakaway faction, and co-founder of the FFC- Democratic Bloc. \u201cThese meetings are nothing more than dialogues that contribute to pushing towards official dialogues, personally or on behalf of an institution. The Tagaddum<\/em> chair is using use all his personal and official relations to push for an end to the fighting and the suffering of the Sudanese.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impact<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the possible impact of Hamdok’s visit to Cairo , the alliance\u2019s spokesperson said that \u201cthe Tagaddum<\/em> efforts have led to invitations to many platforms that did not invite civil coalitions before. We attended meetings of<\/a> the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), we talked with African presidents<\/a> on the sidelines of the African Union summit last month, so it is not that strange for Tagaddum<\/em> to be officially invited by Egypt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe always carry the same agenda, our road map and the Declaration of Principles<\/a> we signed with the RSF in early January and still hope to sign with the SAF, which we have now been discussing in Cairo and will continue to discuss to reach an end to the devastating violence in Sudan\u201d.<\/p>\n