Sudanese political and civilian powers rejected on Sunday the call for dialogue by Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and Commander of the Sudanese Army Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. After two days of discussions in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the powers said the dialogue consolidates division in Sudan. Earlier this month, al-Burhan declared that he was agreeing to an initiative to form an independent national mechanism that would prepare “comprehensive dialogue”. He vowed to provide legal, security, political and logistic guarantees for the participants, saying no foreign powers would be involved. While agreeing to the dialogue, al-Burhan also rejected peace that would return the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its supporters to power. Peace begins with the RSF laying down its weapons, otherwise the army will continue its operations against it, he warned. In a statement on Sunday, the gatherers in Addis Ababa said that any political process run from areas controlled by one of the warring parties, and under its protection, seeks to grant political legitimacy to military rule and empower members of the ousted regime The talks in Ethiopia included that Nairobi Declaration forces of the Somoud civilian alliance, led by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, Arab Socialist Baath Party, Sudan Liberation Movement faction, led by Abdul Wahid al-Nur, National Umma Party, led by Mubarak al-Fadil, and other independent national figures and civilian and youth organizations. The gatherers agreed on a document that stresses the importance of humanitarian efforts, a ceasefire and political process, which should be based on negotiations under independent parties. These parties must include civilian and political forces that are opposed to the war and the parties that are allied with the army and RSF. They agreed that the role of the two warring parties should be limited to the humanitarian and security tracks, excluding the political one, and that the “National Congress” party and its front, the Islamic Movement”, must be completely barred from the peace process. They considered the roadmap proposed in August 2025 by the Quad nations – Saudi Arabia, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt - to be the best reference for the peace process. They agreed to form a joint committee to develop understandings and coordinate positions among anti-war factions.
