Cairo (Somalia Today) — A rare Egypt-Turkey alignment in Sudan is taking shape to counter advances by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), sources said, a group reportedly armed by the United Arab Emirates.
The move follows the RSF’s strategic capture of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. The city’s fall has alarmed neighbouring Egypt, which now fears the war could spill over its southern border. Cairo is redrawing its security map in response, according to a report by Middle East Eye (MEE), citing high-level Egyptian and Turkish sources.
Cairo has quietly reinforced its positions along its frontiers with Sudan and Libya.
“Cooperation has been underway between the Egyptian and Sudanese armies to set up a joint command force to deter RSF and any possible infiltration into Egypt,” a senior Egyptian military intelligence source told Middle East Eye.
The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary RSF began in April 2023.
The war has displaced millions and created a humanitarian catastrophe, according to the UN. The RSF, which evolved from Janjaweed militias, has been accused of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Darfur by the United States.
Egypt-Turkey allianceÂ
The fall of el-Fasher has triggered a significant convergence between regional rivals Egypt and Turkey. The two nations have found common cause in supporting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
“The Egyptian and Turkish armies have begun cooperating directly over Sudan,” a high-level Egyptian security source said.
This cooperation reportedly focuses on containing RSF territorial gains and stabilising the war-torn Darfur region.
“Preparations are underway for a potential future offensive to retake el-Fasher and surrounding territories, including measures to prevent any foreign air support from reaching RSF units,” the source added.
Ankara has previously supplied the SAF with military drones and missiles. It is now planning to increase its backing, a Turkish source told Middle East Eye.
“We were already planning to send more systems, but the el-Fasher pogroms have only strengthened our resolve,” the source said, referencing the RSF’s “litany of abuses” in the captured city.
UAE’s role in RSF gains
The RSF’s battlefield successes and advanced weaponry have drawn greater scrutiny of its primary international backer, the United Arab Emirates.
Though Abu Dhabi denies it, extensive reporting by Middle East Eye indicates the UAE has supplied weapons to the RSF throughout the war. The reporting cites satellite imagery, flight data, and sources.
In addition, these supplies allegedly transit through routes in Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, and Uganda.
Other routes reportedly include the port of Bosaso in Somalia’s Puntland region, ultimately reaching RSF bases inside Sudan.
The RSF’s leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo—better known as Hemedti—has longstanding financial and military links to the Gulf state. Hemedti’s forces previously contributed at least 40,000 fighters to the UAE-led coalition in Yemen.
Cairo’s new red line
For Egypt, the RSF’s control of el-Fasher and the border triangle with Libya is not just a strategic loss for its SAF ally. It is also a direct threat to its own national security.
Recent visits from Egyptian army chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Fathi underscored the urgency. He traveled to Saudi Arabia and Port Sudan, the SAF’s current government base. Fathi co-chaired a military committee in Riyadh before coordinating operational plans in Sudan.
An official Egyptian source confirmed that Cairo has supplied the SAF with “operational guidance and weapons,” warning that “mistakes or delays in responding to RSF movements could threaten Egypt’s border security.”
This direct military support runs parallel to the high-level Egypt-Turkey alignment in Sudan, which signals a new strategic convergence.
The RSF is now reportedly planning an attack on Omdurman, across the Nile from the capital, Khartoum.
“The RSF’s planned attack on Omdurman in the coming months could hasten Cairo’s involvement as the capital has always been a red line for the Egyptians,” Kholood Khair, director of the Confluence Advisory think tank, told MEE.
To counter this, Egypt and the SAF are establishing another joint operations room in el-Obeid, North Kordofan, to “restore the Sudanese army’s presence” in areas recently seized by the RSF, the high-level Egyptian source said.
This military escalation comes as diplomatic efforts stall. For example, the SAF has reportedly rejected a ceasefire at US-led talks in Washington. The RSF delegation there notably includes Algoney Dagalo, Hemedti’s brother, who is under US sanctions.
The new strategy “pulls Cairo away from its preferred role… as peacemaker,” Khair added.
Ultimately, the fall of el-Fasher now appears to have entrenched regional powers and cemented the Egypt-Turkey alignment in Sudan. This development is pushing the country closer to a full-scale partition.
