KHARTOUM – The Democratic Bloc said it supports a Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue as a strategic path to resolve the country’s crisis, but stressed that any process must be inclusive, nationally owned and held inside Sudan with the participation of communities most affected by the war.
In a press statement after a meeting of its leadership body in Khartoum, the bloc welcomed confidence-building measures announced by Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, calling for the completion of a broader roadmap to create the conditions needed for dialogue.
The bloc said it supports any Sudanese dialogue effort provided it meets standards of geographic, social and gender inclusion, and includes displaced people, refugees and sectors directly affected by the war.
It said the process should be led by a nationally agreed committee.
The bloc also stressed that any dialogue must affirm Sudan’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and should not recognize any project aimed at dividing the country or legitimizing parallel bodies.
It welcomed the role of the international community in facilitating and supporting dialogue, but said such support must not undermine Sudanese ownership of the political process or affect national sovereignty.
Meeting With Quint Mechanism
Minni Arko Minnawi, Darfur region governor and head of the political sector of the Forces of Freedom and Change-Democratic Bloc, said the bloc met representatives of the Quint Mechanism on Tuesday.
Minnawi said the bloc told the Quint representatives that any national dialogue must be “purely Sudanese,” comprehensive and based on Sudan’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He said the process should be free from militia influence, foreign interference or external dictates.
Minnawi also said the bloc stressed the need to remove all militias and foreign forces from Sudan and provide international and regional guarantees to implement the outcomes of the dialogue according to clear timelines.
“We hope these efforts will contribute to supporting a political process that leads to peace and stability and preserves the Sudanese people’s right to shape their future,” Minnawi said.
Background
The Democratic Bloc’s position comes amid growing political debate over Al-Burhan’s call for an internal Sudanese dialogue, which has drawn mixed reactions from civilian and political groups.
Some political forces have welcomed the proposal as a possible Sudanese-owned path to end the war, while other anti-war groups have rejected or questioned the framework, warning that a dialogue held under current wartime conditions could legitimize military authority or entrench the realities created by the conflict.
The Quint Mechanism, which includes the African Union, European Union, IGAD, League of Arab States and the United Nations, has been engaging Sudanese actors as part of efforts to support de-escalation, civilian protection and a political process.
Sudan’s war erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after a power struggle over security arrangements and the integration of the paramilitary force into the army.
The conflict has since spread across much of the country, causing mass displacement, widespread hunger, the collapse of basic services and deep divisions among Sudanese political forces over how to end the war and rebuild civilian rule.
