“Darfur Unites Sudan: From Mistiriyah to Khartoum and a Final Plea to Europe”

By :Tarig Zain El Abdein

Expert in regional security and migration issues

At a pivotal moment in Sudan’s history, the meeting between Jibril Ibrahim, Chairman of the Justice and Equality Movement, and Musa Hilal, head of the Revolutionary Awakening Council, comes as an extension of Sheikh Musa’s meetings with a number of Darfuri leaders, sending a powerful message about the priority of internal cohesion and national unity in Darfur and in Sudan as a whole. This meeting should not be treated as a passing protocol event, but as a rare political opportunity that must be invested in, domestically and externally, to rebuild a national state project that transcends ethnic and tribal division in favor of a single inclusive Sudanese identity.
For decades, successive governments in Khartoum adopted policies based on deepening tribal polarization between Arab and non‑Arab components in Darfur, with the aim of tightening their grip on the region and managing conflict through a “divide and rule” approach, which led to the politicization of tribal affiliation and the dismantling of the social fabric. Over time, these policies intersected with conflicts over resources and identity, and with the activity of cross‑border militias, turning the region into an open arena for the intervention of regional actors and non‑Sudanese armed groups that found in the fragility of the state an opportunity to expand.
In this context, it is necessary to pause at Sheikh Musa Hilal’s testimony in recent days regarding Minni Arko Minnawi, where he affirmed that Minnawi played the decisive role in getting him out of Mistiriyah during the treacherous militia attack, protecting the people of Mistiriyah and neighboring areas, providing them with water and food, and then escorting and protecting Sheikh Musa until his arrival in Omdurman. This testimony is not only of human significance; it also reflects the possibility that Darfuri leaders can move from being rival parties to becoming bearers of a new project based on protecting civilians and placing the national interest above past vendettas.
The succession of Minnawi’s meeting yesterday and Jibril Ibrahim’s meeting today with Sheikh Musa Hilal can form a watershed moment in Sudan’s history, if it is wisely capitalized upon, to become a starting point for unifying the Sudanese ranks, overcoming tribal and factional polarization, and moving the country forward on a path of just peace and the building of a state of citizenship. Transforming these meetings from political images into an integrated national project is the real challenge, and at the same time it is the opportunity Sudanese people have long awaited to end the cycle of war and move toward stability and development.
The security and political vacuum that Darfur has experienced in recent years has turned western Sudan into a key link in the routes of irregular migration and smuggling toward Libya and the Mediterranean coasts. The routes of Darfur and the border triangle between Sudan, Chad, and Libya have become one of the main gateways for the flow of people toward Europe, with all the humanitarian, security, and political repercussions that entails on both shores of the Mediterranean. These routes have also helped fuel the war economy and networks for smuggling weapons and human beings, which threaten the stability of Africa and the Sahel–Sahara region and directly affect Europe’s security.
On the basis of these realities, the political and national duty requires the Sudanese government, together with tribal and movement leaders in Darfur, to turn the messages of these meetings into a practical path to rebuild the internal front as a purely Sudanese front: one that does not distinguish between Arab and non‑Arab, nor between color, dialect, ethnic or ideological affiliation, but unites everyone under the umbrella of “Sudanism,” which makes the protection of the Sudanese state, the unity of its territory, and the expulsion of every infiltrator and agent a common goal. Extinguishing the flames of tribal tension in Darfur and agreeing on a local charter of honor that criminalizes hate speech and ethnic mobilization are indispensable steps to ending the cycle of recurring wars and preparing an environment for peace and development.
Externally, Sudanese diplomacy must address, with clarity, European capitals, the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union, to affirm that investing in the stability of Sudan and Darfur is not only a Sudanese interest, but a necessity for protecting the security of Africa, Europe, and the world from the repercussions of chaos, irregular migration, and organized crime. Supporting efforts to build peace in Darfur, enabling the Sudanese state to impose its control over its borders, and boosting development in transit areas will reduce migration flows and dry up the resources of extremist groups and smuggling networks that exploit the absence of the state.
Sudan, as an Arab gateway to Africa and with its strategic location between the Horn of Africa and the Sahel–Sahara, has the capacity to become a key pillar in the regional security equation if it is helped to overcome its current crisis through an approach based on partnership rather than tutelage, and on building a modern national state that respects diversity and embraces all its components within a new social contract. The intersection between Sudan’s interest in internal peace, Europe’s interest in managing migration, and Africa’s interest in stability creates a rare political window that must not be wasted, and the true starting point lies in investing in these historic meetings to craft a unifying national project in Darfur whose effects extend to the entire geography of Sudan.
Today we cry out to the international community, demanding that it fulfill its moral and political duty to help Sudan overcome its ordeal, before Sudan’s bleeding turns into an open regional and international hemorrhage. People of Europe, if you have not yet absorbed the lessons of the Russian–Ukrainian war, then the American–Israeli–Iranian war, then the unraveling of Africa’s cohesion as its fragile spaces are drawn into terrorism, the guns of organized crime, and the return of military coups—and before all that, the uprising of African youth against the legacy of Western colonialism—if you have not learned from all these events and their direct impact on Europe’s military and economic security, then our cry today for you to support Sudan and back its army and its people will be lost to the winds, and with it tomorrow will go Europe’s own security and stability. Helping Sudan now is neither a favor nor a political luxury; it is a necessary investment in your own security and in preserving a Mediterranean and African space that is less tense and more capable of sustaining shared life.