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Sudan

Washington revives peace push after a year of drift

A secret meeting in Zurich between US President Donald Trump’s envoy and SAF Commander Burhan may cut across the regional rivalries blocking negotiations

A three-hour meeting in Zurich between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) commander General Abdel Fattah al Burhan and United States President Donald Trump’s Senior Africa Advisor Massad Boulos on 11 August was the first sign of serious movement in Sudan peace negotiations for a year. It was arranged by Qatar, a key adjunct to US diplomacy under Trump, and all sides tried to keep the meeting secret. It was significant enough to prompt the Vice-President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan to fly to Zurich to see Boulos the following day. Mansour is the UAE’s National Security Advisor and his government is the main foreign backer of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ‘Hemeti’ and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) which are trying, at horrendous human cost, to wrest control of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

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