No meeting between ‘Somoud’ and ‘Tasis’ coalitions in Addis Ababa

June 5, Addis Ababa – A highly anticipated meeting between the Sudanese “Somoud” and “Tasis” coalitions failed to take place on the sidelines of the Five-Nation Mechanism meeting on Sudan, exclusive sources told Sudan Tribune.

On Thursday, several Sudanese political and civil groups, led by the Civil Democratic Coalition for the Forces of the Revolution (“Somoud”) and the Democratic Block of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC-DB), announced a joint vision to launch a peace track aimed at a comprehensive political process to end the ongoing war.

However, sources from both coalitions confirmed to Sudan Tribune that the expected face-to-face meeting between the two major blocs did not happen due to a complete lack of communication.

A high-level delegation from the “Tasis” coalition arrived in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, late Thursday night to hold consultations with the Five-Nation Mechanism. Despite expectations that the two coalitions would meet during the gathering, Tasis did not engage in any talks with the other political groups and parties that had responded to the Mechanism’s invitation and signed the joint vision.

Adding to the deadlock, leaders from the Democratic Bloc attending the dialogue conference in Addis Ababa reiterated on Wednesday their firm refusal to hold any political talks with the “Tasis” coalition, which they claim is led by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The Democratic Bloc leadership stated that this stance closes the door to any current attempts to bridge the gap or open communication channels between the two sides.

In response, leaders of the “Tasis” coalition held a press conference in Addis Ababa on Friday, dismissing the Democratic Bloc’s boycott. They stated that the Bloc’s refusal to sit down with them is of no significance to their coalition and does not concern them.