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Egypt and Saudi Arabia have jointly warned against treating the Sudanese Armed Forces and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as equals. This stance reaffirms the primacy of the Sudanese military institutions, signaling to regional and international mediators. The warning came during a meeting between Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Cairo.

Egyptian officials emphasized that national state institutions must retain exclusive legitimacy, rejecting any equal footing for militias or parallel entities. The warning underscores the risk to collective security posed by any fragmentation or threat to Sudan's territorial integrity. The joint statement coincides with Sudan's ongoing civil war, which began in April 2023 between the military and the paramilitary RSF, resulting in millions of displaced people and famine conditions.

The statement reflects Cairo's strong support for the Sudanese military, marking a significant shift in Saudi Arabia's diplomatic approach, as both nations have co-sponsored intermittent peace talks where both parties have been engaged as warring factions. The Sudanese military-led sovereign council has repeatedly rejected initiatives that place it on par with the RSF, accusing the paramilitary of widespread atrocities such as ethnic killings in Darfur, systematic looting, and sexual violence.

The RSF, in turn, denies these allegations, blaming rogue actors and accusing the military of indiscriminate air strikes on civilian infrastructure. In a separate development, Sudan has called on the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to support an internal political dialogue free from external interference. Sudan's Foreign Ministry urged the regional bloc to back domestic dialogue during a ministerial meeting in Djibouti, where the army reported battlefield advances against the RSF.

Sudan's Foreign Ministry undersecretary, Muawiya Osman Khalid, made the appeal to IGAD members during the meeting. The Sudanese-led initiative aims to address the country's crises without foreign dictates, with an independent preparatory committee engaging political and civil society factions. The military-backed government pledged not to arrest participants and dismissed legal charges against several political figures.

This comes as a five-party diplomatic group, including IGAD, the African Union, the UN, the EU, and the Arab League, conducts consultations to bridge divisions among Sudanese stakeholders and revive a transition process.