Khartoum – Sudan Now
Sudan’s Deputy Sovereign Council Chairman Malik Agar said on Sunday that any political dialogue aimed at resolving the country’s crisis should be led by Sudanese stakeholders and take place inside Sudan.
Agar made the remarks during a meeting with a visiting European Union delegation attended by Prime Minister Kamil Idris, Sovereign Council member Abdullah Yahya, Khartoum State Governor Ahmed Osman Hamza and several ministers, according to Sudan’s state news agency SUNA.
The delegation’s visit aims to assess political, security and humanitarian developments in Sudan, according to Jamal Malik, Director of the European Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the meeting, Agar urged the delegation to engage directly with Sudanese citizens and communities affected by the conflict, arguing that discussions about Sudan’s future should be grounded in the realities facing people inside the country.
The war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted in April 2023, has displaced millions of people and triggered one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Large parts of the country’s infrastructure, public institutions and basic services have also been damaged by the conflict.
According to Malik, Agar encouraged the delegation to examine the origins and causes of the war and to observe conditions on the ground during their visit, including the impact of the conflict on civilians and state institutions.
He also rejected characterizations of the conflict as a struggle between two military leaders, arguing that the war began with what he described as an RSF rebellion against the state.
The remarks come amid renewed international efforts to advance a Sudanese-led political process following consultations organized by the Quintet mechanism in Addis Ababa earlier this month. The consultations brought together Sudanese political and civil actors to discuss a framework for dialogue aimed at ending the war and launching a civilian-led political transition.
Agar said Sudan occupies a strategic position in both the region and the African continent and called for relations with the country to be based on mutual respect and shared interests.
He also urged the European delegation to convey its observations and findings to European governments after completing its visit.
The delegation includes representatives of the European Union as well as diplomats from France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Bulgaria and Hungary.
According to Sudanese officials, the visit marks the first mission by a European diplomatic delegation to Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023, offering European officials an opportunity to assess conditions on the ground and meet Sudanese officials and citizens directly.
