US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee has discussed with Sudanese army leaders the final arrangements for launching direct talks among different parties in Sudan.
Negotiations seeking to solve the worsening political crisis in Sudan are being sponsored by a trilateral mechanism that includes the United Nations, the African Union, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
“Phee and her accompanying delegation met on Tuesday the military committee headed by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) and two council members, Shams El-Din Kabbashi and Ibrahim Jaber Ibrahim,” read a statement released by the Transitional Military Council’s (TMC) media.
According to the statement, the officials met at the Republican Palace in Khartoum. Moreover, the Saudi Ambassador to Sudan, Ali bin Hassan Jaafar, was present at the meeting.
Sudan’s military leaders affirmed their full support for the efforts of the trilateral mechanism facilitating dialogue between the Sudanese parties and for its success.
The Director of the North American Department of the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kamal Bashir, said in statements that the meeting affirmed support for the trilateral mechanism in enhancing rapprochement between the Sudanese parties for the success of the transitional period and reaching a consensus leading to the formation of a civilian government.
Additionally, the meeting addressed the details related to the launch of direct dialogue between the Sudanese national parties.
The talks were launched indirectly on May 12 to discuss ways of defusing the crisis that the country has been witnessing since October last year, which triggered the dissolution of the government and imposition of a state of emergency.
Phee posted a tweet saying she and the Saudi Ambassador held a meeting “with the military’s negotiating mechanism to urge real progress towards a civilian-led government and support for the AU-UN-IGAD process.”