KHARTOUM – Sources said a preparatory committee has been formed for a proposed Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue initiative, following a call by Sovereign Council Chairman and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for an internal dialogue to address Sudan’s political crisis and the war.
The committee includes academics, lawyers, writers and public figures, and is expected to hold a press conference in the coming days to announce the initiative and provide details on its objectives, dialogue themes and parties expected to participate.
The committee includes Qasim Badri, lawyer Nabil Adib, Mohamed Jalal Hashim, Elwathig Kameir, writer Osman Mirghani Abdullah, Naemat Ali Al-Zubair and Suleiman Al-Amin.
It also includes Mohamed Al-Munir, Abdullah Adam Khatir, novelist Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin, Munzoul Assal, Nasreddin Shalqami, Al-Mahboob Abdel Salam, Mohannad Awad Al-Karim and other figures.
The committee has not yet officially announced the date of the press conference or the full details of the initiative.
The development comes amid renewed calls for a Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue to end the war and address the political crisis, after Al-Burhan said the state was ready to provide political, legal and security guarantees for participants in an internal dialogue.
Al-Burhan said the state could provide logistical support and guarantees for participants’ safety, but would not organize the dialogue, set its agenda or determine its outcomes, in order to preserve the independence and credibility of the process.
The proposal has drawn mixed reactions among Sudanese political forces. Some groups have welcomed the idea of an internal Sudanese dialogue as a possible way to build consensus, complete state institutions and prepare for a political settlement.
Other forces have rejected Al-Burhan’s call. Political and civil groups meeting in Addis Ababa earlier this week said any dialogue held inside areas controlled by one party to the war risks legitimizing the current military reality and excluding millions of Sudanese living in displacement, exile or areas outside that party’s control.
Those groups said Sudan needs a genuine peace process linked to humanitarian access, a cessation of hostilities, a permanent ceasefire and an inclusive civilian-led political track under an independent and agreed framework.
The formation of the preparatory committee comes as Sudanese actors remain divided over the location, sponsorship, agenda and participants of any political process, while regional and international mediation efforts continue to seek a path toward ending the war.
Sudan’s conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has displaced millions, damaged state institutions and deepened the country’s humanitarian and political crisis.
The expected announcement by the committee may clarify whether the proposed initiative can bridge differences between forces supporting an internal dialogue and those demanding that any process first be tied to a ceasefire, humanitarian measures and an inclusive peace framework.
