A high-ranking African Union delegation, led by the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki, met Sudanese officials and party leaders to resolve the political crisis following the army coup on October 25.
The meeting, chaired by Army Commander Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, was also attended by military and security leaders and the Rapid Support Forces.
The AU issued a statement announcing that Faki began Saturday a three-day working visit to Sudan where he will meet civilian and military stakeholders for consultations on the political situation in the country.
The Chairperson is accompanied by AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Amb Bankole Adeoye.
The Vice-President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo, welcomed the Union's efforts to bridge the differences between the Sudanese parties.
Hemedti stressed the importance of dialogue to resolve all differences with the participation of all Sudanese parties. He asserted the importance of committing to the democratic transition and holding elections at the end of the transitional period.
For his part, Faki said the visit aims to closely monitor the situation and hear the viewpoints of all Sudanese parties, noting that the AU delegation might propose practical solutions after concluding its meeting in Sudan.
Faki referred to the positive role of the AU to reconcile the Sudanese parties in 2019, which led to an agreement between the military and civilian authorities.
The Union delegation met with leaders of the National Umma Party, a major faction in the opposition coalition, to reflect on the current situation in Sudan.
In a statement issued Sunday, the party welcomed the role of the Union in supporting the civil democratic transition in Sudan.
The statement added that the Umma Party informed Faki of its position to solve the current crisis.
The African delegation also received a copy of the party's roadmap for restoring civilian rule and a shared vision with the Forces of Freedom and Change.
The Transitional Sovereign Council requested earlier the involvement of the African Union to support the initiative launched by the United Nations to lead a political process among all Sudanese parties.
Meanwhile, the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITMAS) concluded Sunday the first stage of UN-facilitated consultations for a political process with inspiring visions of Sudanese stakeholders on the way forward.
The Mission indicated that it completed this week a full month of almost daily sessions with a diverse range of groups, including civil society, women's rights organizations, resistance committees, political parties, young women activists, academics, journalists, youth, persons with disabilities, veterans, diaspora, JPA signatories, and national experts.
Special Representative of UN Sec-Gen and head of UNITMAS Volker Perthes stated that the consultations were valuable in hearing a range of perspectives and proposals from the Sudanese people to overcome the current political crisis.
"We were grateful for the commitment and enthusiasm of scores of representatives of groups from across Sudan who came to meet us, engaged constructively, and shared their concrete ideas," said Perthes.
After the first stage of the initiative, UNITAMS intends to produce a summary document highlighting significant areas of consensus among various Sudanese stakeholders on contentious matters of the transition.
