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Addis Ababa, August 12, 2024 – The second round of consultations initiated by the African Union (AU) and IGAD on designing a political process for intra-Sudanese dialogue ended in Addis Ababa on Monday without reaching a final agreement.
Disagreements over the proposed draft of the political process prevented the parties involved (particularly the civil democratic forces coordination organization “Tagadum” and several armed movements) from reaching a consensus.
The Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Abdul Wahid al-Nour, and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, led by Abdulaziz al-Hilu, boycotted the closing session due to their opposition to the proposed draft and the non-adoption of their recommendations by the technical committee.
Despite these setbacks, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Sudan Tribune that the proposed draft will be submitted to the AU tomorrow.
Siddiq Saddiq Mahdi, secretary-general of the Taqadum coordination organization, explained to Sudan Tribune that the design of the program was based on identifying key parties and issues, among which the cessation of hostilities and the provision of humanitarian assistance are the most urgent priorities.
Mahdi revealed discussions on ensuring that the post-war political process involves genuine political parties and not “artificial blocs” and stressed the need for a unified platform and mediation to stop the suffering of the Sudanese people.
Regarding the withdrawal of the two major movements, Mahdi acknowledged that more efforts and communication are needed to reach an agreement on the design of the political process, and pointed out that there is a common basis for dialogue.
Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Chairman of the AU High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan, reiterated that the consultations are aimed at collecting the opinions of Sudanese civil forces and stressed the need to integrate all the results and determine the basis for representation in the main dialogue. He assured that the AU will not interfere in the design of the political process or deviate from the principles of the Sudanese dialogue process.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s special envoy to Sudan, Lawrence Kobandi, called for a massive relief operation and urged the warring parties to participate in ceasefire talks in Geneva. He stressed the need for a comprehensive conference to resolve political differences and prevent further collapse, and warned against letting international rivalries and external interests overshadow Sudan’s needs.
Kobandi confirmed that IGAD and the AU are fully coordinating to promote the political dialogue, which remains entirely led by the Sudanese. He stressed that the Sudanese themselves determine the agenda, vision and mechanisms, and the role of external parties is to provide support and assistance.
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