Sudan’s top general meets Egyptian President amid growing pressure to resolve the war

Sudan’s top general, Abdel-Fattah Burhan, met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo on Thursday amid growing pressure to resolve the war in Sudan.

Burhan’s meeting with el-Sissi came after the Sudanese general held talks with Saudi officials in Riyadh earlier this week. U.S. envoy Massad Boulos was also in Riyadh at the same time and met with Saudi officials. There was no public announcement that Burhan met with the American official.

In a statement after the meeting, the Egyptian presidency affirmed its support for Sudan, but also rejected “the establishment of any parallel entities or their recognition, considering this a violation of Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity,” adding that there are “red lines” that can't be crossed.

The statement also said that Egypt affirms “its full right to take all necessary measures and actions guaranteed by international law and the Joint Defense Agreement between the two brotherly countries to ensure that these red lines are not violated or crossed.”

Sudan plunge into chaos in April 2023 when a power struggle between the military and the RSF exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.

The war, now in its third year, has killed more than 40,000 people, according to U.N. figures, though aid groups say that is an undercount and the true number could be many times higher.

The conflict has also created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with over 14 million people forced to flee their homes, disease outbreaks and famine spreading in parts of the country.