Sudan civilian dialogue panel to meet international envoys, excludes military

September 6, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – An independent Sudanese preparatory panel preparing civilian peace talks said on Sunday it will meet international envoys this week to coordinate mediation efforts, insisting that military factions will be barred from the negotiating table.

The planned talks with the diplomatic Quintet, comprising the United Nations, the African Union, the regional bloc IGAD, the European Union, and the Arab League, come as foreign mediators step up outreach efforts to end more than three years of civil war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

UN special envoy Pekka Haavisto arrived in Khartoum on Friday for talks focused on halting hostilities and protecting civilians, ahead of joint sessions with regional envoys arriving in the capital.

Spokesperson Osman Mirghani said the preparatory panel aims to build regional and international alignment around a homegrown process that draws in political parties and civil society groups across the spectrum.

Nabil Adib, head of the panel’s legal committee, said liaison teams will begin direct meetings next week with political actors, including factions that have publicly dismissed the dialogue initiative.

Adib said the process is designed strictly for civilian forces to resolve governance breakdowns that led to war, ruling out invitations to the warring generals.

“The committee’s role is purely facilitative,” Adib said. “Addressing the root causes of the war and agreeing on how to end it is fundamentally a civilian task.”

The independent initiative, launched on August 30 by prominent civic figures to convene talks on Sudanese soil, faces immediate friction after several key political coalitions rejected the call, questioning the viability of negotiations amid active fighting.