Khartoum restores rein of affaires : Great Lakes Summit, Field Victories and regional transformations| Sudanow Magazine

Port Sudan, (Sudanow) ‘’Amid escalating repercussions of foreign invasion of Sudan, with all its various parts, sponsors, effects, and manifestations, diplomatic equations witnesses rapidly shifting. Now adays, Khartoum aim not only for military victory, but also seek to reposition itself strategically via alliances with African, Arab, and from non-regional partners, and to transform military momentum to diplomatic gains’’. With this introduction, His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Muawiya Al-Tom Bukhari began his interview with (Sudanow ) about Great Lakes Summit in Kinshasa, the victories in Kordofan regions, and prominent Arab visits, all of that consist a new chapter in the Sudanese state’s journey to regain control. The country is witnessing a notable shift in its diplomatic strategy, accelerating its relationship with African nations, to utilize from gains in areas such as Kordofan, and coordinating with international allies like Saudi Arabia, while UAE's appear contradictory actions. These steps are not merely symbolic; they represent what could be considered a strategic push to reassert official state narrative in face of international and regional opposition.

1- Great Lakes Summit in Kinshasa: African engagement as a strategic crane:

Sudan's participation in ninth summit of Great Lakes region, held in Kinshasa, represented by Lieutenant General Ibrahim Jaber, is a clear indication to Khartoum’s target to rebuild important African alliances. In final statement, Great Lakes region recommended, UN Security Council to condemn Rapid Support Forces militia and characterize them as a terrorist organization, demanding to punish them for atrocities committed against civilian victims. In addition, the summit focused on the necessity to organized use of valuable metals in the region countries, including gold from Sudan, to avoid misuse this source to finance militias. The summit outcomes provide Sudan with strong political cover at the regional level, a fact that becomes more apparent with the growing international awareness of the situation and its consequences. This puts Sudan’s cause among the priorities of countries that believe in the importance of sovereignty and stability in the Great Lakes region. From Khartoum's perspective, this alliance is not merely a diplomatic platform, but also a means of exerting international and regional pressure on backers of the rebellion, and perhaps even creating an African lobby to support international investigations, accountability measures, freezing of funding, and cutting off arms and mercenary sources. This could potentially escalate through the African Union to reach Security Council, aiming for an international resolution against the militia.

2-Linking the diplomatic scene with military victories:

African momentum that occurred in Kinshasa coincides with real field gains for Sudanese army on battlefronts such as Kordofan regions, where reports asserted restore of both cities Umm Dam Haj Ahmed and Kazgeil. A general mobilization was announced to enhance fighting capabilities and national Will. This combination of military strength and regional and international support grants Khartoum greater credibility; the state is not besieged, but rather capable of victory, and regional alliances are growing to support its national project to defeat the rebellion and eliminating those who defy on the state legitimacy. From a strategic vision, this connection transforms conflict from an internal dispute to a confrontation of a regional dimension. Khartoum is working to assert that Rapid Support Forces' militia threatens stability of neighboring countries and region, and has an impact on metals markets, transportation, and border, as well as flow of weapons. This is power legitimacy of the Great Lakes region's call to address this danger through collective efforts, currently taking shape at the level of the African Union and IGAD, comes in, to reach this efforts to Security Council .

4-Saudi-Sudanese alliances: Support to state's position

Saudi Crown Prince’s visit to Washington opened a window to the Kingdom to reposit itself as pivotal player in Red Sea and East African security, enabling it to regain the initiative on the Sudanese issue through an alternative platform to Jeddah forum, one more aligned with conditions that set by the Sudanese leadership for accepting any external initiative. This approach rests on three factors:-

A- Common strategic interests of Riyadh, Khartoum, and Washington are to protect maritime routes, securing supply paths, control on regional chaos that threatens international security, and increasing condemnation of the militias.

B-The Kingdom's role in the Arab, Gulf, and Islamic system, and its capabilities to build a majority that excludes obstructive discrimination and includes a negotiating process that does not legitimize militias or equate them with the Sudanese state.

C- The US-Saudi understanding on the necessity to stop flow of weapons and mercenaries and to confront negative interventions in East Africa makes Riyadh the most acceptable and effective partner for both Washington and Khartoum that will restore balance and stability.

With these elements, it is possible to formulate elements of a new platform or a compatible safety net, based on Sudanese legitimacy, ensuring balanced international support, and restoring Kingdom’s position as a guarantor of stability in the region.

4- UAE movements and Quartet maneuvers:

While Sudan is building its alliances, the UAE is attempting to disrupt them, via its foreign minister's contacts with Marco Rubio (the US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor), in addition to Mossad Boulos's contacts with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, to revive the truce deal and the Quartet, despite Sudan's declared positions that this mechanism is useless as long as UAE involved. This undermines any hope of effective mediation or a renewed push for a truce. These Emirati maneuvers reflect Abu Dhabi's aim to maintain some (albeit unseen) role in Sudanese equation.

Therefore, UAE’s efforts to revive role of the “Quartet” on Sudanese issue are facing rapid weakness, as a result for declining its ability to influence on Washington particular at this time . The rising intensifying international campaign that accusing Abu Dhabi of supporting and arming the militia, including European and African pressure and reports from UN organizations and agencies – has created a stifling political environment that makes it difficult for United States to adopt any new approach that places UAE in a position as an honest partner or mediator. Furthermore, recent American speech, both in Congress and ministry of State Department, has begun to focus on accusing regional backers parties responsibility of lasting the war. This restricts UAE's role for maneuver and weakens its ability to impose or recycle the Quartet, especially given growing international conviction that any peace process must be based on stopping flow of weapons and controlling cross-border funding, not on political arrangements that legitimize the involved actors. If Khartoum succeeds to turn this dialogue for its advantage, it could utilize this to form a new international bloc that supports the country's stability and reduces external involvement in the war.

5- What do these developments mean in reality?

* Restoring political initiative, Sudan's active participation in summits and its new alliances return it as a decision-maker, not just a victim of conflict.

* Rapid Support Forces militia 's isolation with increasing regional condemnations and calls to classify them as a terrorist organization and options of Rapid Support Forces backers are narrowing either via funding or political cover.

* A prelude to accountability:

* African and Arab momentum could transform to legal initiatives, investigations, or sanctions, if Khartoum succeeds to provide sufficient international support.

* As global narrative is being resetting from "internal rebellion" to "regional threat of external intervention," Sudanese discourse is intensifying to highlight international dimension of conflict, thereby reinforcing the legitimacy of the state's demands and actions.

6- challenges still face Khartoum: Despite gains road is still surround with challenges.

* support transmit into effective decisions: African or Arab support must overpass words to actions , monitoring borders and gold movements, restricting funding and mercenaries, and supporting accountability and courts.

* Maintaining internal unity: A large military mobilization and international escalation could trigger risk of internal polarization without building a comprehensive political strategy.

* Maneuvering with regional rivals: UAE and other powers may try to return to the game with renewed influence, so, Khartoum must have a clear diplomatic plan to deal with any repercussions.

* Sustainability of support: Support from some countries is based on temporary interests, and it is important to transform it into long-term strategic partnerships and sustainable interests.

In concluding his talk to ( Sudanow) , Ambassador Muawiya Bukhari stated that What we are witnessing today is not merely a series of triumphant moves or diplomatic meetings, but a significant turning point : Khartoum is regaining the initiative. From Kinshasa to the battlefronts, from its alliance with Saudi Arabia to Emirati maneuvers, Sudan build its strategy on a combination of military power, intelligent diplomacy, and media engagement, all backed by strong popular support. If it succeeds in consolidating this approach, it could reshape the conflict and pave the way for a new era in which the state establishes its place at the heart of the region, rather than as a divided or weak part.

The current momentum that Khartoum achieved —from African summits to battlefield victories, from alliances with Riyadh to countering Abu Dhabi's maneuvers—is not a coincidence, but rather the result of a comprehensive strategy. If Sudan effectively mobilizes in this manner and maintains its effectiveness, it can transform a fleeting moment of international pressure into a strategic rebuilding process that grants it a stronger foothold both regionally and internationally. Ultimately, what is happening is not merely an internal armed conflict, but a struggle to establish a Sudanese state capable of restoring its sovereignty, thus ensuring a more stable and structured future, free from the insurgency and external funding that threaten its unity and national security.

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