Sudanese parties disagree on political process, stalling AU-sponsored dialogue

 Addis Ababa, August 12, 2024 — The second round of consultations on designing a political process for the inter-Sudanese dialogue, sponsored by the African Union (AU) and IGAD, concluded Monday in Addis Ababa without a final agreement.

Disagreements over the proposed draft for the political process prevented participating parties, most notably the Coordination of Civilian Democratic Forces “Tagadum” and several armed movements, from reaching a consensus.

The Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur, and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, led by Abdelaziz Al-Hilu, boycotted the closing session after objecting to the proposed draft and the technical committee’s failure to incorporate their proposals.

Despite these setbacks, sources close to the matter confirmed to “Sudan Tribune” that the proposed draft will be submitted to the AU tomorrow.

Al-Siddiq Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi, Secretary-General of the “Tagadum” Coordination, explained to Sudan Tribune that the design is based on identifying the key parties and issues, with the cessation of hostilities and humanitarian aid delivery being the most urgent priorities.

Al-Mahdi revealed discussions about ensuring the post-war political process involves genuine parties, not “artificial blocs,” and emphasized the need to unify platforms and mediations to stop the suffering of the Sudanese people.

Regarding the two movements’ withdrawal, Al-Mahdi acknowledged the need for more effort and communication to reach an agreement on the political process design, noting that there is common ground for dialogue.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas, head of the AU High-Level Implementation Panel for Sudan, reiterated that the consultations aim to gather input from Sudanese civilian forces, stressing the integration of all outputs to determine the foundations for representation in the main dialogue. He assured that the AU would not interfere in the design of the political process or deviate from the principles of the Sudanese dialogue process.

IGAD envoy to Sudan, Lawrence Korbandy, called for a large-scale relief operation and urged warring parties to engage in the Geneva ceasefire talks. He emphasized the need for a comprehensive conference to address the political divisions and prevent further collapse, cautioning against international competition and external interests overshadowing Sudanese needs.

Korbandy confirmed that IGAD and the AU are fully coordinating to facilitate political dialogues, which remain entirely Sudanese-owned. He stressed that the Sudanese themselves determine their agenda, vision, and mechanisms, and the role of external parties is to provide support and facilitation.