KHARTOUM -

Hours before the start of the direct dialogue facilitated by the tripartite mechanism - the United Nations, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in East Africa "IGAD" - to bridge the gap between the Sudanese parties, which began its work today, Wednesday, the Chairman of the Sovereign Council, the Commander in Chief of the Army, appeared Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan addressed the Sudanese, urging the relevant parties to participate in the dialogue as a historic opportunity to complete the transitional phase.

Al-Burhan's sudden speech - which was announced about half an hour before its broadcast - was distinguished by conciliatory language and calls for transcendence over differences with the military establishment's pledge and commitment to implement the outcomes of the dialogue, but at the same time he reiterated his declared position that the handover of power and the military's departure from politics depend on the arrival of the Sudanese parties. To agree or hold elections, which has been rejected by the fronts that have been leading the protests in the street for the past seven months, demanding the departure of the military from power and handing it over to a civilian government.

Al-Burhan’s calls did not receive any response from the political forces refusing to participate in the dialogue organized by the tripartite mechanism, as the opening session that took place today, Wednesday, witnessed a complete absence of the parties concerned with the dialogue, which includes the resistance committees, the Freedom and Change Alliance and the Umma Party, which received a separate invitation even though it is part of the coalition. The opening session seemed - described as - lukewarm before the consultations were closed.

Volcker (center): There is a general consensus among the participants that the parties that apologized represent real stakeholders (Anatolia).

The political situation in Sudan has been tense since Al-Burhan announced exceptional measures - on last October 25 - according to which he ended the partnership with Freedom and Change - the ruling coalition, imposed emergency, and arrested ministers and party leaders, as well as arrested Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, who later decided to resign from His position came in the wake of the inability to agree between the political parties that refused to return to partnership with the military again, and that also raised the ceiling of their positions by refusing to sit down to negotiate with them, describing them as devoid of legitimacy.

With the continuation of the escalation in the street and the increase in violence against peaceful protesters, with dozens of dead and thousands injured, the international pressure on the Al-Burhan government intensified to force it to reach an agreement that would lead to the formation of a civilian government and establish a peaceful democratic transition, and before that the cessation of violence and violations against the demonstrators, which was not achieved by the victims reaching to 100 dead, including 16 children, in addition to 5,000 injured, according to unofficial medical statistics.

Last January, the UN Secretary-General's envoy to Sudan, Volker Peretz, launched a political process in an attempt to end the crisis situation, and the process developed, to become under the auspices of the tripartite mechanism by adding continental partners (the African Union and IGAD), which - according to Volcker - reflects the world's interest. Not to leave the Sudanese alone in the process of achieving the goals of freedom, peace and justice.

In an article he wrote on the eve of the launch of the direct dialogue, Peretz says that the current political process does not aim to serve the goals of impunity or turn a blind eye to the crimes and violations that have been committed.

"The issues of justice and transitional justice are on the agenda of the process," he added.

(From the right) Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Jaber, Lieutenant-General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and Lieutenant-General Shams Al-Din Al-Kabbashi in the dialogue session (Anatolia)

Absence threatens dialogue

The absence of influential forces from the dialogue table, which began today, Wednesday, threatens its chances of success strongly. Those who sat in front of the military committee were its allies from the armed movements and entities that supported the coup against the former ruling coalition, as appeared among the participants, the leaders of the Popular and Democratic Unionist Congress "the original", in addition to Ali Al-Tijani Al-Sisi and Mayada Sewar Al-Zahab from the National Program Alliance, and all these leaders and entities were participating in the government of the ousted President Omar Al-Bashir;

This is what makes those who oppose participation stick to boycotting the dialogue, considering that the fronts of the former regime should not be involved in the political process, which should be limited in its first phase between the parties to the current crisis, namely the military and their allies on the one hand, and the Coalition for Freedom and Change and the Resistance Committees on the other.

In a television interview last May, the African Union envoy, Mohamed El Hassan Ould Labbat, stressed the need for the forces allied with the former regime to participate in the transitional phase, and said that the political situation in Sudan has now changed since the overthrow of the former regime in 2019, and the Forces for Freedom and Change had previously opposed I accept this proposal as a response to the desire of the military component to involve political forces that support its continuation in power.

The leader of the National Charter Group, Ali Askouri, says that the parties rejecting the dialogue are trying to impose their agenda on the Sudanese, as he believes that the demonstrations that take place in Khartoum do not represent all of Sudan, expecting - in an interview with Al Jazeera Net - the formation of a committee to join the objectors, especially since the session held today was A procedure for arranging the agenda.

The designated head of the Umma Party, Major General Fadlallah Barama, attributed the boycott of the mechanism to the keenness to gather the national ranks (communication sites)

Ending the coup

According to the vision of the Alliance for Freedom and Change that was handed over to the tripartite mechanism this week, the necessity requires creating the atmosphere by releasing political detainees and stopping violence against demonstrators before direct dialogue. And then the constitutional dialogue, which means the broad participation of all political forces before holding the elections.

As for Umma Party leader Fadel Barama Nasser, he affirmed his party's commitment to the decision of its institutions and freedom and change not to participate in direct dialogue sessions, in the interest of national unity and striving to reach credible solutions that lead to solving the national crisis, not complicating it.

During the opening session, Ould Labatt said that attendance in its current form will not lead to the required solution, referring to the absence of the parties to the crisis from the table, which observers considered an early obituary of the dialogue in its current form.


Sources - Al Jazeera Net - said that the closed talks session witnessed an intense discussion about the agenda, how to append the objectors and the mechanisms of dialogue, as it was agreed that the tripartite mechanism would manage the dialogue until agreement on a national mechanism.

It reported that a discussion took place about the necessity of communicating with the rejectionists, which was confirmed by Volker Peretz at the end of the closed sessions. .

Ibrahim Jaber explained that the participants agreed to submit names to select 6 of them to form the national mechanism for managing the dialogue, and it was decided to suspend the sessions until next Sunday.