Sudan opposition rejects army chief’s call for internal dialogue
August 15, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese pro-peace figures rejected on Saturday a call by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for an internal political dialogue, dismissing the initiative as an attempt to legitimize military rule and entrench his grip on power.
The rejection came a day after Burhan agreed to guarantees proposed by an unnamed group to organize talks inside Sudan with political and civil forces.
Burhan pledged in a speech marking Army Day to halt legal action against participants, protect attendees from prosecution over their views, and foster a free political climate.
Babikir Faisal, head of the executive bureau of the Unionist Alliance and a leader in the opposition Somoud coalition, said the proposed talks would not halt the ongoing war or restore a democratic civilian transition.
Faisal told Sudan Tribune that the initiative aimed to consolidate army rule and install a new autocrat through co-opted civilian factions, arguing the core dispute lay in the process’s objectives rather than procedural guarantees.
Khaled Omer Youssef, another prominent Somoud leader, said on Facebook that Burhan was seeking power at all costs. He warned that continued military control effectively empowers the Islamist movement that underpinned the regime of ousted leader Omar al-Bashir.
Youssef said Burhan relies on Islamists to fight the war while using the internal dialogue proposal as a political manoeuvre to mask their influence behind the scenes.
Somoud coalition spokesman Bakry Eljak said the initiative ignored vital priorities, including a ceasefire, civilian protection, and the delivery of humanitarian relief.
Eljak told Sudan Tribune the push to complete state governance structures appeared designed to pave the way for Sudan to regain its suspended African Union membership without resolving the underlying conflict.
He added that talks hosted exclusively in army-controlled areas lacked inclusivity, saying the initiative aimed to sideline international mediation, including efforts led by the Quad grouping of the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.
Umma Party leader Mubarak al-Fadil al-Mahdi set conditions for dialogue, demanding that military commanders agree to a comprehensive reconciliation, accept international peace proposals, and commit to ceding power to civilians.
Mahdi said any viable talks must take place outside Sudan with the armed forces attending solely as observers, while urging the complete removal of the military from political and economic life.
He also dismissed Burhan’s offer of immunity as insufficient, citing unconstitutional arrest warrants issued by state prosecutors against former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other political figures over alleged ties to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In contrast, the Democratic Bloc, a coalition of armed groups and political factions allied with the military against the RSF, welcomed the initiative.
Democratic Bloc spokesman Mohamed Zakaria said national ownership and domestic consensus were essential for sustainable peace, adding that foreign actors should strictly limit their role to facilitation rather than dictating participants or agendas.