KHARTOUM – A committee tasked with preparing a Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue announced the start of its work in Khartoum, naming Qasim Badri as its chairman as part of efforts to lay the groundwork for an internal process aimed at ending the war.
At a press conference in Khartoum, the committee said its mission is to create suitable conditions for a dialogue that brings together Sudanese political, civil and social actors, listens to their concerns and works to bridge differences.
The committee called on political and civil forces to engage in an inclusive dialogue without exclusion, saying national consensus remains the main path toward ending the crisis and reaching peace.
It welcomed the state’s stated readiness to provide a suitable environment for holding the dialogue inside Sudan, including guarantees and protections for participants from prosecution, saying such measures could help create a better climate for the political process.
The committee also called on the international community to support the dialogue efforts while respecting their independence, saying Sudan can overcome its crisis through a broad national process that includes different forces and components.
The initiative comes after Sovereign Council Chairman and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan called for a Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue inside the country and said the state was ready to provide political, legal and security guarantees for participants. Al-Burhan said the state would support the process logistically but would not determine its agenda or outcomes.
The proposed dialogue has opened a new debate among Sudanese political forces over the shape, venue, guarantees and participants of any political process while the war continues between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Supporters of an internal dialogue say it could create a Sudanese-owned path to end the war and rebuild political consensus after more than three years of conflict. Critics argue that any process held inside areas controlled by one side of the war risks lacking credibility unless preceded by a ceasefire, humanitarian access, broader freedoms and clear guarantees for all parties.
Two days earlier, Sudanese political and civil forces meeting in Addis Ababa rejected Al-Burhan’s dialogue call, saying Sudan needs a genuine peace process rather than a dialogue held under the authority of one party to the conflict. Their position highlights the widening gap between competing civilian and political initiatives.
Sudan’s war, which began in April 2023, has fragmented the political landscape. Some forces have aligned with the army, others with RSF-linked political structures, while a third camp presents itself as anti-war and independent from both sides.
The preparatory committee is expected to present more details on the initiative, including its objectives, dialogue tracks, targeted participants and vision for addressing Sudan’s political and national crisis.
The committee includes Qasim Badri, lawyer Nabil Adib, Mohamed Jalal Hashim, Al-Wathig Kameir, writer Osman Mirghani Abdullah, Nemat Ali Al-Zubair, Suleiman Al-Amin, Mohamed Al-Munir, Abdullah Adam Khatir, novelist Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin, Munzoul Assal, Nasr Al-Din Shalqami, Al-Mahboub Abdel Salam, Mohannad Awad Al-Karim and other public figures.
