KHARTOUM – Sudan’s dialogue preparatory committee said it has completed arrangements to begin contacts with political and civil society groups inside and outside the country, as part of efforts to prepare for a broad Sudanese dialogue.
Osman Mirghani, a journalist, engineer and spokesperson for the Sudanese Dialogue Preparatory Committee, said the committee would begin wide consultations with political and community actors in the coming period.
He said the outreach is intended to build common ground for dialogue and address unresolved national issues.
Mirghani said the committee had completed the necessary arrangements to start its practical work, adding that the next phase would include intensified contacts with different Sudanese stakeholders to hear their views and positions on the future of the political process.
The committee is expected to hold an important meeting this week with the Quint Mechanism handling the Sudan file, he said.
The Quint Mechanism includes the United Nations, African Union, European Union, League of Arab States and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
Mirghani said the planned meeting comes as part of the committee’s outreach to regional and international actors, to explain its vision for preparing the Sudanese dialogue and discuss coordination in support of an inclusive political process.
He said the planned Sudanese dialogue aims to reach broad national understandings by involving different political and community forces without exclusion.
The announcement comes amid renewed debate over army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s call for an internal Sudanese dialogue, which he has said should bring together Sudanese actors to discuss a path out of the war.
Several Sudanese political and civil forces have welcomed dialogue in principle but remain divided over its timing, venue and guarantees, particularly while fighting continues and large parts of the country remain under the control of armed actors.
Anti-war groups that met recently in Addis Ababa and Nairobi have warned that any dialogue held under the control of one side of the conflict could deepen political and geographic divisions unless it is linked to a ceasefire, civilian protection, humanitarian access and a credible Sudanese-owned peace process.
The committee’s planned engagement with the Quint Mechanism comes as UN envoy Pekka Haavisto continues consultations in Khartoum with Sudanese leaders and international partners on de-escalation, civilian protection and steps toward an inclusive political process.
