Sudan's PCP and SLM Expand Talks to Broaden Peace Beyond Ceasefire

Khartoum — On 15 September 2026, Sudan’s Popular Congress Party (PCP) and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) faction led by Abdul Wahid al‑Nur announced that they would expand ongoing negotiations aimed at ending the three‑year civil war that has devastated large swathes of the country. The parties said the talks, now taking place in the capital under the auspices of a regional mediation team, would move beyond a narrow cease‑fire to address political power‑sharing, security sector reform and the reintegration of armed groups. Both sides pledged to “intensify dialogue” and to involve civil society representatives, signalling a shift from the sporadic, localized talks that have characterised previous attempts at peace.

The conflict erupted in 2023 after a power struggle between the military junta that seized control in the 2021 coup and rival civilian factions, spiralling into a broader war as tribal militias and rebel groups joined the fray. Sudan, Africa’s third‑largest nation by land area and home to more than 50 million people, has long been a crossroads of trade routes linking the Red Sea to the interior of the continent. Its economy, already strained by years of sanctions and the loss of oil revenues following South Sudan’s independence in 2011, has been further crippled by the war’s disruption of agriculture, transport and cross‑border commerce. The fighting has displaced millions, created a humanitarian crisis, and threatened the stability of neighboring states such as Chad, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia.

The PCP, a splinter of the former ruling National Congress Party, represents a coalition of former government officials and business elites who seek to retain influence over Sudan’s political apparatus and safeguard economic interests in Khartoum and the oil‑rich regions of the north. In recent statements, the PCP has stressed the need for a “national reconciliation” that preserves the existing state structures while granting limited autonomy to peripheral groups, arguing that a comprehensive overhaul of the security apparatus would jeopardise the country’s fragile unity.

Conversely, the SLM‑al‑Nur faction, one of the most prominent armed movements that emerged from Darfur’s long‑standing insurgency, demands a more radical transformation. Abdul Wahid al‑Nur’s representatives have called for the withdrawal of military forces from civilian life, the disbandment of paramilitary units loyal to the junta, and a transitional government that includes a broad spectrum of civil society, women’s groups and marginalized ethnic communities. The SLM’s position is rooted in decades of grievances over marginalisation, resource allocation and the legacy of violent campaigns that have scarred the western regions of Sudan.

The expanded talks come after a series of stalled cease‑fires brokered by the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, which have repeatedly collapsed amid mutual accusations of violations. International actors, including the United Nations and the United Arab Emirates, have offered logistical support and convened regional stakeholders to press both parties toward a durable settlement. Observers note that the inclusion of civil‑society voices and a clearer roadmap for security sector reform could address some of the structural issues that have previously undermined peace efforts.

While the negotiations are principally a Sudanese matter, their outcome bears relevance for the broader region and, indirectly, for Taiwan’s strategic interests. A stable Sudan would restore a key overland corridor that links the Red Sea’s maritime trade lanes—vital for the global shipping of oil, minerals and agricultural products—to inland markets across East and Central Africa. Continued conflict threatens to disrupt these routes, potentially inflating transport costs for commodities that feature in Taiwan’s supply chains, such as rare earths and petrochemicals. Moreover, a durable peace could reduce the flow of refugees and arms into neighboring states, contributing to a more secure environment for Chinese‑Taiwanese enterprises operating in Africa’s energy and infrastructure sectors. The prospect of a negotiated settlement, therefore, extends beyond Sudan’s borders, offering a modest but tangible hedge against regional instability that could reverberate through global trade networks.