Sudan’s armed forces commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has conducted confidential consultations with various political and civil society representatives, according to sources familiar with the discussions. These talks have produced preliminary agreement on measures intended to facilitate a broader national dialogue conference. The proposed steps include withdrawing capital charges against opposition figures and establishing a preparatory committee to organize the conference.
The consultations have brought together a range of Sudanese stakeholders to discuss practical measures for creating an environment conducive to political dialogue. Participants have reportedly endorsed halting negative media campaigns and suspending death penalty charges against dozens of opponents of the military-led government, particularly members of the Somoud Alliance, a political coalition associated with former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. The proposed preparatory committee would be composed of independent, widely-respected figures with relevant expertise and would determine conference participation, agenda, venue, date, and arrangements for international and regional monitoring.
These unilateral efforts come amid ongoing international mediation attempts. The Quintet—comprising the United Nations, African Union, European Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and Arab League—has been working to broker consensus among Sudan’s competing factions on dialogue arrangements. Recent discussions in Ethiopia’s capital concluded without agreement, with several political groups including Somoud declining to participate. The Somoud leadership has criticized the Quintet process, contending it has become dominated by pro-military participants and abandoned principles of Sudanese ownership of the political process.
Meanwhile, Sudan’s conflict between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has continued since 2023. The announcement that certain groups would be excluded from dialogue has drawn criticism. National Congress Party leaders have objected to their exclusion, arguing that equating their party with the RSF represents a fundamental misunderstanding of Sudan’s political landscape. The NCP warned that exclusionary or one-sided dialogue processes would lack legitimacy and fail to produce sustainable political outcomes.
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