In a joint statement on Sudan’s war issued September 12, 2025, the so-called Quad—Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and the United States—drew attention by inserting language that explicitly ruled Islamists out of the country’s political future.

As Sudan’s armed forces continue their fight against the UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces, Khartoum faces a challenge no less daunting than the battlefield: rebuilding a shattered capital after two years of war.

El Fashir has become a decisive battleground in Sudan, where clashes between the army and RSF militia, amid civilian suffering, are shaping the region’s power balance and the country’s future.

The rebellion of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo is no longer the sole force claiming civilian lives in Sudan; it has been joined by a deadly outbreak of cholera, threatening what little remains of life’s essentials in the war-torn country.

Sudanese Islamist commander Musbah Abu Zaid was briefly detained in Egypt in August 2025 amid regional fears of his influence, then released and cleared of all charges.