UK conference on Sudan fails to set up contact group for ceasefire talks

Protesters opposed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia and the alleged role of the UAE in Sudan gather outside the Foreign Office in London. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock

A British-led attempt to establish a contact group to facilitate ceasefire talks in Sudan fell apart on Tuesday when Arab states refused to sign a joint communique after a conference in London.

The daylong argument between Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over the communique represents a big diplomatic setback for efforts to end two years of civil war in Sudan.