Answer to Question
Sudan and Tensions with Ethiopia
(Translated)

Question:

Sudan’s network ‘Ain reported on 9 November 2026: “With the expansion of the Sudanese war and the renewal of conflicts in northern Ethiopia, fears have increased that the shared border will turn into an open arena for settling regional scores that go beyond the two direct parties to the conflict.”

Reuters had reported on 4 November 2026, citing a senior Ethiopian official, that “his country had closed the Sudanese consulate in the border town of Assosa and ordered the six diplomats working there to leave within 48 hours.” The agency quoted officials in Sudan as saying that “the Sudanese government responded by closing the Ethiopian consulate in the city of Al-Qadarif in eastern Sudan and expelling the diplomats working there.”

Sudan’s Deputy Foreign Minister had stated during a briefing presented to the diplomatic missions accredited to Sudan that “the Ethiopian base in Assosa has turned into a center for supplying the Rapid Support Forces with weapons and equipment, in addition to facilitating the crossing of foreign fighters and mercenaries into Sudanese territory to participate in the military operation…” (Sudan News, 4 November 2026).

What lies behind these tensions between the two countries? And is there a role for America, which is pressuring Sudan’s government to sit down with the separatist rebels?

Answer:

To clarify the answer to the above inquiries, we will review the following matters:

1- America is planning to separate Darfur from Sudan… Its proposal, presented on 20 June 2026 through its envoy for Arab and Asian Affairs, Massad Boulos, calls on Sudan to surrender to the fait accompli, under the guise of a paper it put forward that includes declaring a comprehensive and immediate humanitarian truce nationwide for 90 days… We mentioned in an answer to a question dated 29 July 2026 that “The truce included in the American proposal, under the pretext of delivering humanitarian aid, when conducted with separatist rebel group like the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), it recognizes their entity and accepts what they do. The truce included in the American proposal, under the pretext of delivering humanitarian aid, when conducted with separatist rebel group like the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), it recognizes their entity and accepts what they do. Similarly, when the document speaks of “security arrangements, including steps for withdrawal and redeployment of forces,” it confirms the continued presence of the RSF and avoids any mention of dismantling or ending their existence. In fact, it implicitly calls for their continued presence when it calls for their redeployment. This equates the national army with those seeking to dismantle it, such as the RSF. The document also calls for “limited military withdrawals” under the pretext of “facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, protecting civilians, and creating conditions for the return of displaced persons,” which confirms the preservation of these forces without their dissolution. In this paper, it affirms the legitimacy of the existence and dominance of the Rapid Support Forces when it calls for “a comprehensive and immediate nationwide humanitarian truce for 90 days” and when it calls for “using the truce period to negotiate a permanent ceasefire and to begin a transition process led by a civilian authority.” It does not refer to the RSF as separatist and rebel forces, but rather acknowledges their separatist government to divide Sudan. It should be noted that the latest American proposal is not a new initiative but rather a revival of the proposal previously advanced by the Quartet—comprising the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates—on 12 September 2025. The proposal calls for a three-month humanitarian truce as a pathway toward a permanent ceasefire.” So it confirms America’s plan to recognize the Rapid Support Forces’ control over Darfur, which aims to separate this region…

2- Sudan announced its rejection of the American Boulos Process and expressed readiness to accept it under certain conditions. We stated in our answer to the question issued on 29 July 2026, “The Sudanese response to the latest US proposal, issued on 20/6/2026, was delivered on 25/7/2026. Details of the response were published later. Al Jazeera network on 10/7/2026, citing official Sudanese sources reported the response of the government to the latest American proposal. These sources said that the response: “reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ending the war through negotiations and establishing a 90-day humanitarian truce, contingent upon the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) withdrawing from all cities they have controlled since 11/5/2023” which is the date of the signing of the Jeddah Declaration by the two parties under US-Saudi sponsorship. The response also included: “guarantees for Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity, the preservation of the Sudanese Armed Forces as a unified national army, the integration of all military formations within it, an end to foreign interference in Sudanese affairs, and a halt to the provision of weapons and mercenaries to the RSF.” The second part of the Sudanese government’s response included; the withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces from cities and their regrouping in designated locations in three phases: the first phase, to be implemented within 30 days; includes withdrawal from the Blue Nile region, North Kordofan state, and North, Central West Darfur. The second phase will begin 30 days after the completion of the first. This involves the RSF withdrawing from cities in West Kordofan and South Darfur states. The third phase, to begin 30 days after the second, it includes withdrawal from East and South Kordofan states. The assembly point was designated as Kauda, the stronghold of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, which is allied with the RSF… The Sudanese government’s demand for the RSF to withdraw from the cities it seized and then redeploy to specific locations effectively acknowledges its existence and prevents its dismantling and elimination. It should be noted that the RSF will not easily comply with the government’s demands for withdrawal or negotiations; otherwise, it would not have rebelled, committed atrocities, perpetrated the crimes it committed, and caused the displacement of millions. The only way to resolve the matter is to decisively eliminate the RSF through military force.” End of quote.

3- On 22 September 2026, the US State Department issued a statement in which it said: “Neither the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces, nor their respective leaders, represent legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan.” The US State Department claimed in its statement that “We seek to restore peace and give power back to the Sudanese people.” The statement mentioned that “We have repeatedly asked the two parties to accept a humanitarian truce as presented without preconditions, and to commit to an inclusive political dialogue that leads to a transition to a civilian government” (Al Jazeera, 23/9/2026). This statement is directed at Al-Burhan himself, as he is the leader of the army, one of the official state institutions, and he is the one who politically leads the country in the name of the Sovereign Council. This is a threat to him to withdraw recognition of his leadership because he is a military leader and not a political one, and he is keen for America and others to recognize him as the official president of Sudan.

4- Then there was another pressure tactic employed by America: it refused to grant Al-Burhan a visa to come to New York and deliver a speech before the General Assembly of the United Nations during its regular annual meetings in September 2026, despite him being the highest official entity representing Sudan, like other heads and representatives of member states who attended in New York. It linked this to Al-Burhan’s acceptance of its proposal for a 90-day ceasefire and the contents of the paper by Boulos, the envoy of the US President. Al-Burhan understood this as pressure from his master, America, to accept the dismemberment of his country by accepting its proposals. So, on 26 September 2026, he responded, saying: “The country will not yield to any pressures or blackmail” and said: “Our goal is to cleanse all of Sudan, even Darfur, of these scoundrels” (Anadolu Agency, 26 September 2026). It is worth noting that he is the one who lost Darfur when he withdrew the army from it without significant resistance, as instructed by America that the withdrawal was temporary, but it turned into a permanent settlement and the declaration of a separate state in Darfur. And now Al-Burhan says, “Our goal is to cleanse all of Sudan, even Darfur, of these scoundrels”!

5- After all these diplomatic pressures by America on the government of Sudan under the chairmanship of Al-Burhan, the President of the Sovereign Council, it appears that it wants to pressure him via Ethiopia. This is why the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, while celebrating his country’s acquisition of 12 Russian Sukhoi fighter jets at the end of last October, said “the fighters will enhance his country’s strategic deterrence capability. However, possessing these fighters and the diplomatic escalation do not mean that a full-scale confrontation with Sudan is imminent, and talk of a direct war at the present stage is premature, considering the burdens it would entail for both parties” (Sudan News, 4 November 2026). This statement hints that he is prepared to wage war on Sudan, as it contains a threat, especially when coupled with the talk of his acquisition of advanced fighter jets. This was preceded by the Sudanese Sovereign Council announcing in a report issued on 1 November 2026 that it “monitored 70 attacks between February and October 2026 from Ethiopian launch areas, involving 187 drones.” The report was prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Military Intelligence and the General Intelligence in Sudan. It also stated that “those attacks resulted in 484 civilian casualties, including dead and wounded, and led to the killing of 176 army recruits in the Blue Nile, Khartoum, and other areas, targeting hospitals, residential areas, and fuel and electricity facilities”… “Sudan holds Ethiopia internationally responsible for the cross-border operations and demanded it immediately stop the attacks launched against its territories and close the Ethiopian facilities used by the Rapid Support Forces”… “Sudan is seeking accountability and compensation for the damages and destruction resulting from those acts” pointing out that “an attack targeted displaced families in Wad al-Mahi in the Blue Nile state last month, resulting in the killing of 30 civilians, including 26 women and 4 children” (Agence France-Presse (AFP), Al Jazeera, 1 November 2026). So, the regime in Sudan remained silent for ten whole months, then it stands up and announces that drones launched from Ethiopia killed and wounded hundreds of civilians and military personnel and caused destruction and damage to power stations and infrastructure! And it proceeded to demand that Ethiopia stop these attacks, close the facilities belonging to the rebellious, separatist Rapid Support Forces, and pay compensation, without even responding to these attacks, which indicates the regime’s laxity and negligence, making others feel empowered to attack it and support its opponents and separatist rebels.

6- What the regime in Sudan resorts to most is the United Nations, which works against it and calls on it to negotiate with the separatists as a prelude to recognizing them and partitioning the country with them. The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on 1 November 2026 that it had filed a complaint against Ethiopia with the UN Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council. Amjad Farid, advisor to the President of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, said that “Ethiopia is seeking to drag Sudan into a direct confrontation, and that Khartoum has submitted an official complaint to the UN Security Council against Addis Ababa over drone attacks that targeted Sudanese territory.” He said that “Sudan confirmed that the drones were launched from Ethiopian territory and that the complaint included details and evidence regarding those attacks” (Al Arabiya, 2 November 2026). Prior to this, Sudan’s Defense Minister said on 28 October 2026 to the Sudanese News Agency that “more than 20 countries are participating in the ongoing war in Sudan through logistical support, mercenaries, money, and drones for the Rapid Support Forces.” If the rulers of Sudan realize that there is a major conspiracy being plotted against the country, it is their duty to crush the Rapid Support Forces, sever the foreign hands playing with the country’s destiny, and declare a general mobilization, because what Ethiopia is doing amounts to a declaration of war on Sudan—not to resort to the UN Security Council, which is chaired by America and includes major powers like Britain, France, and others, all of whom are conspiring against Sudan to partition it!

7- Following these accusations against Ethiopia and the complaint filed against it with the Security Council, tensions between the two countries increased, leading them to take diplomatic actions against each other. Reuters reported on 4 November 2026, citing a senior Ethiopian official, that “his country had closed the Sudanese consulate in the border town of Assosa and ordered the six diplomats working there to leave within 48 hours.” The agency also reported, citing Sudanese officials, that “the Sudanese government responded by closing the Ethiopian consulate in the city of Al-Qadarif in eastern Sudan and expelling the diplomats working there.” The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Moawia Osman Khalid, had stated during a briefing he presented to the diplomatic missions accredited to Sudan that “the Ethiopian Assosa military base has turned into a center for supplying the Rapid Support Forces with weapons and equipment, in addition to facilitating the crossing of foreign fighters and mercenaries into Sudanese territory to participate in the military operation” (Sudan News, 4 November 2026). So Ethiopia is the guilty party and the aggressor, yet it acts and behaves as if it were the one being aggressed against by closing Sudan’s consulate in protest of the accusations and complaints leveled against it and Sudan is content with a diplomatic response in kind and does not attack the bases in Ethiopia from which the attacks on Sudan are launched!

8- Thus, it becomes clear that the escalation with Ethiopia has objectives related to America’s plan to separate Darfur, even though Ethiopia has other local interests in conspiring against Sudan. It does not interfere in Sudan except at the behest of America, and it previously supported the separation of South Sudan. It is in Ethiopia’s interest to initiate and participate in threats against Sudan and conspiring against it, because there is the crisis of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) which it built, harming Sudan just as it harms Egypt, and both object to it, as it violates the water distribution agreement between the three countries. The dam has become a hotbed of tension in the region, dug by America after it encouraged Ethiopia to build it since 2011, allowing it to intervene and enhance its influence in these countries by creating disputes and disagreements between them so that they resort to it and it remains in control of them. Therefore, it was stated in the meetings of the second round of the 2+2 consultative mechanism between Sudan and Egypt, i.e., the four ministers of foreign affairs and irrigation in both countries on 2 November 2026: “the two countries affirmed their rejection of any threat to the unity and integrity of Sudan, and affirmed their determination to enhance joint coordination to restore stability in Sudan. They agreed on the necessity of defending the water security of the two Nile Basin countries and preserving the full water rights and uses of both countries according to the 1959 agreement, and not allowing any infringement upon those rights. And they agreed that the unilateral Ethiopian dam… has grave consequences and represents a continuous threat to the two downstream states of the Nile River…” (Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, and Sudan’s Al-Zool News, 2 November 2026). So, it is in Ethiopia’s interest to weaken Sudan so that it cannot object to the projects it undertakes that harm Egypt and Sudan. This also weakens Egypt because it cannot confront Ethiopia when it loses the Sudanese front and becomes distant from Ethiopia’s borders. Even though Egypt’s regime did not move from day one to prevent the construction of this dam and waited until its completion to start talking, which indicates its lack of seriousness in taking any action, and it is subject to American orders not to move.

9- And thus, America introduces a new pressure factor on Sudan to tear the country apart, including the secession of Darfur. From American statements equating the Sudanese army with the Rapid Support Forces to the Boulos Process to the visa ban on Burhan and finally to introducing Ethiopia as a new means of pressure; all this is to prepare the atmosphere for the secession of Darfur, just as it did in South Sudan!! And it is not expected from the rulers of Sudan to undertake any serious action to restore Darfur and prevent its secession. They have their forces fight in other areas to deceive people into thinking they have regained territory here and there, and that the final round will be towards Darfur. All of this is a deception to consolidate Hemidti’s authority and his Rapid SupportForce in the Darfur region, paving the way for its secession. For whoever truly wants to prevent this would direct their attack at the source of the affliction, which is the Darfur region itself, marshaling all their forces and moving specifically towards it to eliminate the head of evil there. Consequently, the other areas controlled by Hamidti and his support would then collapse automatically, leaving no trace of them.

Since these rulers are agents who have carried out America’s will and brought the country to its current state, no good can be expected from them. Therefore, it is imperative to work towards overthrowing them and bringing forth a sincere and aware political leadership from the Ummah, the leadership of Hizb ut Tahrir, to declare the Khilafah and apply the Shariah rulings upon the rebels, disobedient mutineers, agents, and separatists. It will safeguard the country from the evils of enemies both domestic and Foreign, and provide security, safety, and shelter for its people who have been displaced by this dirty war. And this will exist, by the Permission of Allah ﷻ, in fulfillment of the Hadith of our Messenger ﷺ, as reported by Ahmad, Al-Tayalisi, and Al-Bazzar: «ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةً عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ» “Then there will be a Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of the Prophethood.” This will be by the hands of the believers and with the help of Allah ﷻ, the All-Wise: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تَنْصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنْصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُم * وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَتَعْساً لَهُمْ وَأَضَلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ﴾ “O you who have believed, if you support Allah, He will support you and plant your feet firmly. * But those who disbelieve – for them is misery, and He will waste their deeds.” [TMQ Surah Muhammad: 7-8].

1 Jumada II 1448 AH
11 November 2026 CE