Sudan's national dialogue preparatory committee has started extending invitations to political parties and other groups ahead of a planned Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue conference. The committee's spokesperson, Osman Mirghani, announced that all political forces would be invited to take part in the consultations. The committee aims to reach the broadest possible agreement on preparations for the dialogue conference.
The committee is set to meet with the Democratic Bloc next week, followed by consultations with other political forces. Mirghani stated that the committee would summarise the results of the consultations and use them as a basis for the dialogue conference. The committee is also maintaining contact with regional and international actors, including a meeting with representatives of European Union countries.
The committee emerged publicly in August after a group of Sudanese figures proposed an independent mechanism to prepare for an intra-Sudanese dialogue. The initiative followed consultations by army chief and Sovereign Council Chairman Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan with political and civil-society figures on preparations for a comprehensive Sudanese dialogue.
On 14 August, Burhan said the government would provide legal, political and security guarantees to facilitate the dialogue. He said the group proposing the initiative had stressed its independence and openness to all and had requested guarantees to enable participation and protect those taking part. Burhan also said the government would not organise the dialogue or determine its agenda or outcome.
The committee says it is a civilian initiative and that its role is to prepare the ground for dialogue rather than determine its final agenda or outcome. The committee's outreach is not limited to political groups inside Sudan or those who support the army-aligned government. It is consulting political parties, civil society and blocs as well as community groups, including traditional administrations and Sufi orders.
Some Sudanese civil society and political groups, particularly those involved in anti-war activities outside Sudan, have rejected or questioned the initiative. They have raised concerns about the independence and inclusiveness of a dialogue being organised in Khartoum, where the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) is in control. A group of anti-war political and civil forces meeting in Addis Ababa rejected Burhan's proposed dialogue.
Nabil Adib, the committee's political-track coordinator, said the committee's role would end once the dialogue begins. He said the committee had prepared two papers to help facilitate the talks, one dealing with proposed national principles and issues that should not be raised during the dialogue, while the other addresses decision-making within the process.
Key points
- The Sudanese national dialogue preparatory committee has started inviting political parties and groups for consultations ahead of a planned Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue conference.
- The committee aims to reach the broadest possible agreement on preparations for the dialogue conference.
- Some Sudanese civil society and political groups have rejected or questioned the initiative, citing concerns about independence and inclusiveness.
