Sudan’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, Al-Zein Ibrahim Hussein, has launched a series of intensive meetings with regional and international power brokers.
This diplomatic “blitz,” conducted from the Ethiopian capital, comes as a direct challenge to the upcoming Berlin Conference on Sudan, scheduled for April 14, 2026.
The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Ambassador Hussein engaged with a high-level roster of envoys, including the African Union Special Envoy to Sudan, Ambassador Mohamed Belaiche; IGAD Special Envoy Laurence Korbandi; and Colmi Mohamed, Head of the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy.
The mission also extended official notes to the French Special Envoy, Bertrand Cochery, and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa, Kwang Cong.
At the heart of the Ambassador’s mission is Khartoum’s vocal objection to the structure of the Berlin meeting. Ambassador Hussein emphasized that the deliberate exclusion of the Sudanese government from the conference’s planning and proceedings is a violation of the country’s sovereign rights.
He stated during the sessions that holding such a meeting while deliberately excluding the legitimate government does not contribute to resolving the crisis.
He argued that the “guardianship approach” adopted by European organizers ignores the Sudanese people’s right to determine their own national solution and warned that such exclusion could force Sudan to reconsider its dealings with the sponsoring nations.
To counter the Berlin agenda, Hussein presented a comprehensive national vision based on the Sudanese Peace Initiative.
This roadmap, originally presented by the Prime Minister to the UN Security Council in late 2025, has garnered support from the Arab League, the African Union, and IGAD.
The Ambassador highlighted several key pillars of the government’s stance, including the firm rejection of the “Quartet” group, which Khartoum accuses of providing material support to rebel militias.
In a nuanced shift, Hussein commended the “positive engagement” of the United States, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, signaling that Sudan is not closing its doors to international mediation, provided it respects the country’s territorial integrity.
The Ambassador also slammed the Berlin Conference for what he described as a “selective approach” in inviting only certain civilian forces—voices he claimed are often loyal to militia interests rather than the broader Sudanese populace.
This diplomatic tension coincides with a grim milestone, as the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) approaches its third anniversary on April 15.
