AU kicks off second round of preparatory meeting for dialogue in Sudan

August 9, 2024 (ADDIS ABABA) – The second Preparatory Meeting for the Inter-Sudanese Political Dialogue, sponsored by the African Union and IGAD, began in Addis Ababa on Friday, with the participation of political forces that boycotted the first round.

The Tagadum coalition of civilian forces abstained from the initial consultations held in July, citing a lack of transparency and the dominance of elements from the former regime including the National Congress Party (NCP). The coalition stated this marginalizes the forces of peace and weakens their role in the democratic transition.

The current meetings are scheduled to continue until August 12th.

Participating are members of the Tagadum coalition, along with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu (SPLM-N-Hilu); the Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Abdel Wahid Nur (SLM-AW); the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, and others.

Mohamed Abdel Rahman Al-Nayer, the SLM-AW spokesperson, confirmed their participation was contingent on the exclusion of the dissolved NCP. The African Union provided a list of participants, satisfying this condition.

Al-Hadi Idris, leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement-Transitional Council (SLM-TC), also welcomed the invitation, stating their prior refusal was due to the lack of agreement on procedures and the inclusion of elements from the former regime.

Idris expressed hope for the success of regional and international efforts to end the war, calling on all Sudanese to pressure the conflicting parties towards direct negotiations in Geneva.

From 10 to 15 July, the African Union and IGAD hosted the first round of the preparatory meeting with the participation of a range of Sudanese political including the Democratic Bloc. The participants agreed on the need to exclude any political party banned by the transitional constitutional declaration and accused of crimes against humanity or war crimes, in reference to the NCP.

(ST)