Face of Truth | Ibrahim Shaglawi Sudan… A Peace Contested by Capitals

The Sovereignty Council Media Office issued a statement on Thursday denying the authenticity of what had been attributed to the Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. It confirmed that he had not made any statements to any local or international media outlets in recent times, and called for accuracy and reliance on official sources.

However, this denial raises an important question about the management of the Sudanese scene amid the overlap between war and peace tracks, and the increasing pressure of regional capitals’ interests on the trajectory of the conflict. This article seeks to discuss these developments in light of the abundance of leaks, and the importance of having reliable media channels capable of providing the public with accessible information, so as to avoid falling into the cycle of misinformation.

The statement did not end the controversy; rather, it reflected the extent of political and media fluidity surrounding the Sudanese file. The issue is no longer merely about a news item or a media leak, but about a state of ambiguity that has continued to surround negotiation tracks, mediation efforts, and regional movements taking place behind the scenes, at a time when Sudanese people are living through one of the most dangerous moments in the history of their modern state.

In my view, what was published by the “Middle East Eye” website was not surprising in substance, as talk of contacts, mediation efforts, or indirect understandings between Khartoum and Abu Dhabi has been circulating for months through multiple channels, including Turkey, Ethiopia, and Bahrain. The official position on negotiations has also remained clear, as government discourse stresses that any dialogue is conditional upon stopping support for the Rapid Support Forces militia and respecting Sudan’s sovereignty and unity.

Yet the significance of the incident lies not in the content of the statements, but in its political implications. Sudan today is no longer facing a conventional military war alone; it is also facing a war over narratives, public consciousness, and the shaping of perceptions regarding the future of the state. Therefore, information management has become part of managing the national battle itself, because the vacuum of truth is quickly filled by rumors, leaks, and conflicting interpretations that may weaken public morale.

Hence, the real crisis is not whether negotiations exist or not, but the absence of a political and media discourse capable of reassuring the public and involving it—within possible limits—in understanding what is happening regarding the future of war and peace.

This war is no longer merely a military matter; it is a national issue that has cost millions of Sudanese families, reshaping the economy, society, politics, and perhaps even geography.

The Sudanese army has fought this war with broad popular support that nearly reached the level of national consensus, viewing it as a battle related to the survival of the state rather than merely a struggle for power, as some attempted to portray it. Therefore, preserving this popular and political cohesion has become a strategic necessity no less important than military resolution. States do not win wars through military force alone, but through the resilience of their internal front and their ability to produce a unified national narrative that protects society from division, exhaustion, and loss of trust.

In this context, the media and political battle today appears to be an integral part of Sudan’s existential struggle. The enemies of states do not target armies only, but also target public consciousness, trust in government, and societal cohesion. Therefore, official silence or ambiguity in managing issues becomes fertile ground for rumors and the erosion of national certainty.

What further complicates the scene is that the war, early on, surpassed its local boundaries and became an arena of intersecting regional and international interests. Every capital involved in the Sudanese file has its own vision for the post-war Sudan, and each party has its own security, economic, and geopolitical calculations.

Saudi Arabia is moving according to an approach aimed at rebuilding political balance within the country and producing a stable formula combining the civilian dimension and the military institution. Egypt views the Sudanese file through the lens of national security, state centrality, and Nile water interests, while the United Arab Emirates operates within calculations of regional influence, the Red Sea, and the Horn of Africa.

Bahrain, according to emerging indications, appears to be attempting to play the role of a quiet mediator to reopen channels of communication between Khartoum and Abu Dhabi, at a time when deep mistrust still governs relations between the two sides.

From this perspective, the deadlock surrounding previous initiatives—whether in Manama, Jeddah, or Washington—can be understood not as a shortage of mediators, but as an abundance of conflicting agendas and interests.

The truth that should not be absent from the Sudanese consciousness is that all capitals involved in the Sudanese file act according to their own interests. Every state has its own postponed project and calculations linked to influence, economy, security, and the reshaping of regional power balances.

Therefore, protecting Sudan’s national decision begins with recognizing this reality and dealing with it with state-level awareness. Sudan, by virtue of its geopolitical position, resources, and regional intersections, has become a target of competing interests.

Therefore, the current moment, according to #Face_of_Truth, imposes a historic responsibility on Sudanese national forces—political, social, and media—to protect the internal front and reinforce the idea that Sudan’s struggle is not the battle of a single institution, but the battle of an entire nation. When external ambitions multiply, internal cohesion becomes the first line of defense of the state.

May you remain well and in good health.

Saturday, May 23, 2026

Shaglawi55@gmail.