African Union welcomes Sudanese dialogue... political forces warn of partition

While the African Union Commission welcomed the initiative of Sudan’s “Dialogue Preparation Committee,” the move faced strong rejection from the “Forces of Freedom and Change” (Declaration of Principles Forces), which demanded the immediate withdrawal or correction of the welcoming statement. Meanwhile, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of the Sovereignty Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Army, approved a decision to drop criminal complaints against participants in the intra-Sudanese dialogue held within the country.

In a statement, the Commission said the initiative “contributes to strengthening the African Union’s roadmap and the Five-Partner Mechanism’s pathway in building a coherent strategy led by Sudanese stakeholders.” It recommended that consultations include all political, civil, and societal actors, based on the principles of inclusiveness, ownership, and purely Sudanese leadership.

The African welcome came after the Dialogue Preparation Committee announced from the capital, Khartoum, the start of broad consultations with political, civil, and societal forces to participate in the dialogue process, including anti-war forces abroad.

According to the Commission’s statement, the ultimate goal of the dialogue should be “the unity and sovereignty of Sudan, governed by legitimate civilian institutions, and endowed with a unified national security structure and effective mechanisms for the peaceful resolution of political and social disputes.”

Unusually, the African Union Commission’s statement did not address the humanitarian truce or ceasefire, issues that had been routinely highlighted in previous statements. The Sudanese-Intra Sudanese Dialogue Preparation Committee had previously confirmed in a press statement that the planned dialogue within the country would not include discussions on the ceasefire process.

The Sudanese Declaration of Principles Forces, an anti-war civilian political alliance, announced its firm rejection of the African welcome regarding the dialogue, which it described as “misleading.” It called for the immediate withdrawal or correction of the statement and issued clear warnings to the African Union and the mediation process, represented by the Five-Partner Mechanism, as well as regional and Western countries, against supporting this step, which it said would lead to the division of the country between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.