In the shadows of Gaza, a civil war in Sudan has killed 150,000, displaced 12-million and put two-thirds of Sudanese in need of dire humanitarian assistance, so it comes as no surprise that a significant statement by four countries identifying the root causes of the war and a framework to end the suffering went without notice 12 September 2025. The message was clear, Sudan cannot return to a military dictatorship dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, that was tried for three decades with disastrous results. For the “Quad” consisting of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE and the United States, an “independent civilian-led government with broad-based legitimacy and accountability” is the path to long-term stability.

For three decades (1989–2019), Sudan was under the grip of the National Congress Party, a Muslim Brotherhood–aligned military dictatorship headed by General Omar al-Bashir, whose legacy includes aiding Al-Qaeda’s formation and overseeing genocides in Darfur and South Sudan against non-Muslim and non-Arab populations. In 2019 the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan and their junior partner the Raid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo were critical in Bashir’s ousting when a popular uprising took to the streets calling for Bashir’s removal. Democratic elections were slated for 2023 putting an end to military rule by Islamists, instead Sudan was greeted by a civil war with Burhan (SAF) simply looking to replace Bashir…meet the new boss, same as the old boss. The reason Burhan (SAF) has not achieved his aim is that his former junior partner, Hemedti (RSF), has now become the main obstacle and combatant in the civil war.

In the West, Sudan is often mischaracterized as nothing more than a proxy struggle, with Iran backing Burhan’s SAF and the UAE supporting Hemedti’s RSF, a framing borrowed from the Yemen conflict across the Red Sea. It would better be described as a war against political Islam which only the UAE has been willing to confront on a consistent basis, but the “Quad” meeting and press release provides hope for Sudanese. The immediate goal is a three-month humanitarian truce leading to a permanent ceasefire with a transition to civilian rule nine months afterwards. The Quad specifically addressed the destructive role of outside actors fueling the civil war, the future of Sudan will not be dictated by Iran, Turkey, Qatar or other malign actors, nor will it be dictated by the UAE which is part of the Sudan Quad. Finally, the Sudanese people have no desire to play with the failed experiment of a Muslim Brotherhood government, and the Quad has identified the internal obstacle to long-term stability “Sudan’s future cannot be dictated by violent extremist groups part of or evidently linked to the Muslim brotherhood, whose destabilizing influence has fueled violence and instability across the region.” For there to be a lasting peace in Sudan the Muslim Brotherhood must be rooted out of positions in the military and government which they have dominated for thirty-years.

Whenever a conflict is described as a civil war an old British military doctrine always is at the forefront of my mind. Do not get involved in civil wars. If you do get involved in a civil war pick a side, and make sure your side wins. How does this translate to the Sudan Quad? The American superpower has picked a side, the Sudanese people over the Ikhwan, the United States must use its economic leverage, safeguarding a peaceful transition to an “independent civilian-led government with broad-based legitimacy and accountability”.