A planned meeting of foreign ministers led by the United States to discuss the ongoing war in Sudan has been postponed due to a disagreement between Egypt and the United Arab Emirates over the language in a proposed joint statement, according to individuals familiar with the matter.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been set to host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt in Washington on Wednesday. The gathering, often referred to as the “Sudan Quad,” was part of an effort to jumpstart stalled peace negotiations between the rival Sudanese generals whose conflict has dragged on for more than two years.
Diplomatic sources said the dispute centered on how the joint communiqué would characterize the actions and roles of the two warring sides in Sudan. Egypt reportedly objected to wording that it believed cast undue blame on General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces, whom Cairo continues to support. The UAE, which is widely believed to back General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo of the Rapid Support Forces, pushed for a more critical stance toward Burhan’s camp.
The disagreement proved significant enough to derail the meeting altogether. Officials in Washington have not publicly commented on the postponement, and a new date for the gathering has yet to be announced.
The war in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023, has led to a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with tens of thousands killed and millions displaced. Despite numerous attempts at brokering a ceasefire, efforts by regional and international actors have largely failed to make progress.
This latest setback underscores the geopolitical tensions within the countries trying to mediate the conflict. While all members of the Quad have publicly stated their desire for peace in Sudan, their competing interests and alliances on the ground continue to hinder unified diplomatic action.
A senior Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the incident reflects “deep fractures” within the coalition trying to mediate the war. “There is no alignment on what peace should look like or who should lead it. That is a serious obstacle.”
The postponed meeting was also expected to address how to coordinate humanitarian aid deliveries and future peacekeeping deployments, should a ceasefire eventually take hold. Now, those efforts are also in limbo.
Sudan’s conflict has become one of the most neglected crises in global diplomacy, even as the civilian death toll rises and famine spreads in parts of the country. The continued breakdown in talks among the Quad only complicates matters for Sudanese civilians hoping for an end to the violence.
It remains unclear whether the US will attempt to reschedule the meeting or pursue a different approach to mediation. For now, however, the divide between Egypt and the UAE has once again pushed peace in Sudan further out of reach.
