Exclusive: Sudan’s Burhan open to talks with UAE but ceasefire not imminent

AI Summary

Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan expressed openness to peace talks with the UAE conditional on ending UAE support for the Rapid Support Forces. Diplomatic efforts involving Bahrain aim to mediate amid ongoing conflict and political tension in Sudan.

Exclusive: Sudan’s Burhan open to talks with UAE but ceasefire not imminent Eiad Husham on Thu, 05/21/2026 - 13:30 Sources say Sudanese army chief's recent visit to Gulf is part of Bahrain's efforts to broker talks with UAE The Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said (left), meets Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Muscat, Oman, on 21 April 2026 (Oman News Agency/Handout via Reuters) Off Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has told Middle East Eye he is willing to open talks with the United Arab Emirates, as long as certain conditions are met. These conditions include the UAE ending its support of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been at war with Burhan’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since April 2023.  “We are willing to enter into peace talks with the UAE, but these talks need to be conducted on Sudan’s terms,” Burhan said. “The UAE must respect the unity of Sudan.” MEE can reveal that the Sudanese leader’s visit to Bahrain last week was part of an attempt by Bahrain to facilitate talks between Sudan’s army-backed government and the UAE. Efforts to establish a channel of communication between Abu Dhabi and the Sudanese government are continuing but have not been successful so far, said a Sudanese intelligence source and four European diplomatic sources familiar with the discussions. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The sources told Middle East Eye that Bahrain’s close political ties with Abu Dhabi and its ability to relay messages between Sudan’s army-backed government and Emirati officials was crucial. Burhan’s visit to Bahrain – and to Oman and Saudi Arabia – comes at a time of growing optimism within Sudanese government circles in Port Sudan that the UAE could eventually reduce or halt its support for the RSF, which has been widely accused of committing genocide in Darfur. Sudan's Burhan confronts UAE and Ethiopia over Khartoum airport drone strikes Read More » The recent defections of a string of former senior RSF commanders – all of whom have said the UAE is providing military and other support to the Sudanese paramilitary – has suggested that a door could be opened to renewed engagement between the SAF and Abu Dhabi. But despite the recent diplomatic activity, diplomats familiar with the matter say there is little indication that the UAE is prepared to shift its position in the near future, while Burhan recently openly confronted Abu Dhabi and Ethiopia over their support for the RSF.  MEE recently reported on the use of an Ethiopian army base by the RSF, and relations between Sudan and Ethiopia are at a low. The UAE is also implicated in supplying the RSF in Ethiopia, but the Emirati foreign ministry told MEE that it rejected what it described as “unfounded accusations and deliberate propaganda” from the Sudanese government.  “These fabrications are part of a calculated pattern of deflection – shifting blame to others to evade responsibility for their own actions – and are intended to prolong the war and obstruct a genuine peace process,” the Emirati foreign ministry said, referring to the SAF and the government it supports. Sudan to UAE back-channel  According to the diplomatic sources, several attempts have been made over the past three years to establish direct communication between the SAF leadership and the UAE.  One of the only successful efforts took place in July 2024, when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed facilitated a phone call between Burhan and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.  The same sources said another attempt at creating a channel between the UAE and the Sudanese army emerged during indirect negotiations involving representatives from the SAF and the RSF in Washington last year.  Exclusive: The Ethiopian army base covertly supporting Sudan’s RSF Read More » The talks were organised under the framework of the Quad mechanism, which includes the United States, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt.  During those discussions, the Quad reportedly arranged a face-to-face meeting between Sudanese military representatives and Emirati officials in an effort to ease tensions between the two sides. But, according to three sources briefed on the meeting, the discussions collapsed almost immediately. The SAF delegation presented what it described as evidence of Emirati military and logistical support for the RSF, accusations Abu Dhabi has repeatedly denied publicly.  The Emirati delegation, led by the Minister of State at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, ended the meeting after only a few minutes, far shorter than the hour initially scheduled. “The atmosphere became tense very quickly,” one diplomat said. “The Sudanese side focused almost entirely on accusations regarding Emirati support for the RSF, and the Emiratis saw no basis for continuing the discussion.”  Deep suspicion remains Another senior regional diplomat said Abu D