Representatives from Sudan's army-aligned government refused to meet face-to-face with key civilian politicians at a conference in Cairo to discuss an end to the country's 15-month war.
The conference in Egypt was meant to "initiate a Sudanese-Sudanese national dialogue" to "unify perspectives" for an end to the war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelaty said.
But government officials, including deputy chairman of the ruling transitional council Malik Agar, finance minister Gibril Ibrahim and Darfur governor Mini Minawi, refused to sit down with former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok and his Taqadum civilian bloc, according to sources on both sides.
They accused the politicians of being a front for the RSF, sources close to both Agar and Hamdok told AFP.
Hamdok was ousted as prime minister in a 2021 coup by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, then allies.
The Abu Dhabi-based former premier remains Sudan's foremost civilian politician, but has been accused of cozying up to the paramilitaries, which in turn is accused of atrocities including crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.
In January, Hamdok and Daglo met in Addis Ababa and signed a joint declaration to work towards an end to the war.
On Saturday, the pro-army camp demanded Taqadum "condemn the RSF's atrocities and dissolve their partnership with the militia," a source close to Agar told AFP, requesting anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Taqadum spokesperson Bakry Eljack told AFP the bloc has "always condemned atrocities from both sides" and denied that "Taqadum is the political wing of the RSF".
A source close to Minawi said the pro-army camp had only attended the conference "as a courtesy to Egypt", a key ally of Burhan.
The war has so far killed tens of thousands of people, forced over nine million to flee their homes, and created what the United Nations says is one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent memory.
Attempts at mediation between the two sides -- including by Saudi Arabia, the US and the African Union -- have repeatedly floundered.
The US has signalled the potential resumption of talks in the Saudi city of Jeddah, but the fighting shows no signs of abating as the RSF gains ground and pushes further into the country's army-controlled east.
US special envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello told AFP on Saturday that though the two political groups did not meet face to face, Cairo proved it was possible to "bring together key players from across the political spectrum".