Welcome to CFR’s Daily News Brief. Today we’re covering the divisions that marked two years of war in Sudan, as well as...
A global agreement on a pandemic treaty
New U.S. restrictions on chip exports to China The sentencing of Peru’s former president
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A paramilitary leader declared a rival government in Sudan yesterday, as a London effort to establish a contact group for peace fell through. The developments underscored the fierce divisions driving Sudan’s civil war as it crossed into its third year yesterday. Some thirteen million people have been displaced in the fighting between the Sudanese army and paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). As many as 150,000 people have been killed, according to U.S. estimates from 2024.
On the ground. Yesterday, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo declared the establishment of a “Government of Peace and Unity” to rival the Sudanese army. -
The RSF has consolidated its control over Sudan’s western Darfur region and parts of the south in recent months, raising fears of a de facto partition of the country.
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The UN Security Council has warned that the establishment of an RSF government “would risk exacerbating the ongoing conflict…and worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.”
The London conference. United Kingdom (UK) Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who hosted the diplomatic talks, said they aimed to push back against the notion that “many have given up on Sudan.” -
The European Union and its member countries pledged some $590 million in aid at the conference for 2025, while the UK pledged more than $150 million for the coming year.
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The UK and other partners tried to facilitate a joint commitment from Arab governments to form a contact group that would work toward a cease-fire. But Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) clashed over the potential declaration, and failed to sign an agreement.
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Sudan has long accused the UAE of arming the RSF, while Egypt has close ties with the Sudanese army.
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“None of the foreign actors backing this conflict—Egypt, Turkey, Eritrea, and Iran on the side of the [Sudanese Armed Forces], the United Arab Emirates and Chad on the side of the RSF, and Russia on both sides—have incurred much in the way of costs for fueling atrocities. Instead, all the costs have been borne by the people of Sudan. The survivors among the Sudanese have been displaced, violated, and denied access to education, medical care, and food. But eventually, inevitably, consequences will be felt well beyond the region, as malign actors are empowered, fundamental norms and principles are abandoned, and instability spreads, as it always does.”
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| Sven Torfinn/Panos Pictures/Redux |
Sudan’s civil conflict has stirred relatively little outside attention as it has ground on through famine and mass displacement. CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo and Sabine Baumgartner detail the conflict in this photo essay. |
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Pandemic treaty deal. World Health Organization (WHO) member countries reached a pandemic response agreement that is slated to become a legally binding treaty. The deal—which followed three years of talks—covers how to share drugs and vaccines between rich and poor countries. Washington did not participate in the latest talks due to its ongoing withdrawal from the WHO. The treaty still faces adoption by the World Health Assembly in May and ratification by member states.
New chip export restrictions. Chipmaker Nvidia said in a regulatory filing yesterday that the U.S. government will require a license for its H20 chips to be sent to China. Nvidia created the H20 chip in order to comply with previous Joe Biden administration export restrictions. The company said the new curbs will cause it a $5.5 billion financial hit. A Commerce Department spokesperson said yesterday that new chip export restrictions aim to “safeguard our national and economic security.”
Shifting U.S. stances on Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff wrote on social media yesterday that Iran should “stop and eliminate” its nuclear enrichment program, days after he said that the country should simply have a cap on enrichment. Top Trump administration officials voiced conflicting opinions at a meeting yesterday to prepare for this weekend’s next round of Iran talks, Axios reported. The UN nuclear chief is visiting Tehran today.
Black Sea security talks. Turkey is hosting a two-day meeting on security in the Black Sea that is due to wrap up today. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ahead of the talks that they would cover “a contingent at sea” and “security guarantees” following the potential end of the war with Russia. A 1936 agreement places limits on how much navies from outside the area can deploy in the Black Sea and makes Turkey especially influential there.
Critical minerals probe. Trump ordered an investigation into U.S. reliance on foreign sources of processed critical minerals in an executive action yesterday. The minerals will be studied for potential tariffs, the order said. It referenced the law that was used to order 25 percent U.S. duties on foreign sources of steel and aluminum and said any new tariff rate would replace that of Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs.
Former Peruvian leader found guilty. A court sentenced former President Ollanta Humala and his wife to fifteen years in prison for money laundering. The judges ruled that they illegally accepted funds from the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht and from the Venezuelan government to finance 2006 and 2011 campaigns. Humala’s lawyer said he would appeal. He was taken to prison, while his wife entered the Brazilian embassy to seek asylum.
Potential U.S. cyber breach. Someone with an IP address in Russia attempted to log in to U.S. National Labor Relations Board systems with the username and password of a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) account, according to whistleblower testimony. While the attempted login was rejected, the whistleblower affidavit—submitted to Congress and made public yesterday—raised concern of a potential “significant cybersecurity breach.” The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency did not immediately comment.
Indonesia-Qatar fund. The two countries will launch a $4 billion joint investment fund that will sit within Indonesia’s new sovereign wealth fund, Danantara. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto wrapped up a tour of the Middle East in Qatar yesterday, during which he also visited Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. The trip mostly focused on trade, though Subianto also offered to temporarily shelter one thousand Palestinians displaced by Israeli attacks.
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The WHO’s Pandemic Agreement will shape health over the next century, much as the Paris Agreement has shaped the response to climate change, Daniel J. Becker, Colin J. Carlson, and Timothée Poisot write for Think Global Health. |
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Today, Chinese President Xi Jinping continues a state visit to Malaysia. Today, Japan’s top trade negotiator arrives in the United States. Tomorrow, Trump hosts Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House. -
Tomorrow, International Monetary Fund (IMF) director Kristalina Georgieva speaks ahead of the World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings.
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Iranian Presidency/WANA/Reuters |
The two countries held their first meeting in seven years to discuss Iran’s contentious nuclear program. CFR Senior Fellow Ray Takeyh discusses what could come next in this Expert Brief. |
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