Sudanese political and civil forces from rival camps have reached a significant breakthrough, agreeing on a common vision to launch a process aimed at ending the war and laying the groundwork for a peaceful transition to democratic civilian rule, following days of talks.
The forces, once grouped under one umbrella before the war split them apart and hardened their positions, issued a joint statement that included the Civil Democratic Alliance for the Forces of the Revolution, known as Somoud, led by former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok, the Democratic Bloc, an ally of the Sudanese army, and the Arab Socialist Baath Party, along with other parties, political forces, public figures, and civil, women’s and youth organizations.
The statement said the parties had agreed on a new political path to achieve comprehensive peace, end the war, and establish the basis for a peaceful solution that preserves Sudan’s unity and sovereignty.
It marks the first such consensus since Sudan’s war erupted in April 2023, bringing together anti-war forces represented by Somoud and the Democratic Bloc, the largest political alliance supporting the Sudanese army.
Early on Friday, the Sudanese forces handed the draft consensus vision to the international quintet mechanism, which includes the African Union, the Arab League, the European Union, the United Nations, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, IGAD.
The agreement followed the failure to hold a formal meeting called by the Quintet mechanism, pushing the political and civil forces into intensive side consultations to agree on the foundations of a new political process. The signatories said the consensus reflected a shared political and civil will to end the fighting and pave the way for a comprehensive, peaceful settlement.
The meetings brought together the Democratic Bloc, Somoud, and the Tasis alliance, which is aligned with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). But the talks themselves were held between the Democratic Bloc and Somoud after members of the Democratic Bloc refused to sit with the Tasis delegation.
The joint statement said any political process must be comprehensive, with priority given to addressing the humanitarian disaster caused by the war, expanding civic space, and creating the conditions needed for a successful national dialogue.
It also stressed accountability for war crimes, criminal justice, and transitional justice to address the social and psychological scars left by the conflict.
Committee to draft the agenda
The parties agreed to form a preparatory committee of no more than 40 members, men and women, representing the different sides of the political process.
The committee would reflect political diversity, geographic balance and social, professional, women’s and youth representation, as well as those affected by the war, including displaced people and refugees.
The committee will identify the participants in the political process according to agreed criteria, draft the dialogue agenda and the principles and foundations of a political solution, oversee measures to prepare the atmosphere, set the dialogue methodology, determine the time and venue, and coordinate with regional and international mediators and guarantors.
The vision sets out three simultaneous tracks for the political process.
On the humanitarian track, the forces called for lifting sieges on cities and camps in Darfur, Kordofan and other affected areas, opening safe corridors for aid delivery and civilian protection, and requiring the warring parties to allow humanitarian organizations to operate without restrictions.
On the security track, the vision called for a humanitarian ceasefire based on the terms of the Jeddah Declaration and monitored by regional, international and UN bodies, in parallel with the launch of the political process, paving the way for a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.
On the political track, it called for a comprehensive Sudanese dialogue among political and civil forces to address the roots of the national crisis and reach a new social contract that would underpin a democratic civilian transition.
The document also called for confidence-building measures before the process begins, including the release of detainees, prisoners and abductees, mechanisms to search for the missing, the cancellation of arbitrary measures against civil and political forces, guarantees for freedom of political and civil activity, and an end to politically driven war-related trials.
Participants in the Addis Ababa meetings on Wednesday and Thursday stressed that the ousted National Congress Party and its organizational fronts must be excluded from any role in the next political process, a position described as one of the principles that won broad consensus among the participating parties.
They also stressed the exclusion from the political process of the National Congress Party, which was ousted by the 2018 revolution, and its organizational fronts.
It is widely believed that the Democratic Bloc’s participation in the Addis Ababa meeting and the consensus that followed may have been directed by Sudanese army leaders.
The vision’s principles include affirming Sudan’s unity and sovereignty, linking the humanitarian, security, and political tracks as part of an integrated package to end the war, and restoring the path toward a democratic civilian transition.
The quintet mechanism had invited Sudanese forces, including the RSF-linked Tasis, to an exploratory meeting aimed at narrowing differences and opening a new political track to end the country’s continuing conflict.
The meeting also examined the possibility of forming a unified mechanism to support efforts to stop the war and negotiate transitional arrangements, ahead of a comprehensive political dialogue among the Sudanese.
Mubarak Ardol, head of the Democratic Alliance for Social Justice and a prominent Democratic Bloc leader, said the Addis Ababa consultations marked a major step since the war began.
He said participants had reached a common position on the preparatory committee for the political process and on the final statement, while maintaining their rejection of Tasis’ participation in the political process.
The Democratic Bloc includes several armed movements and political forces, most notably the Justice and Equality Movement led by Jibril Ibrahim, the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Arko Minnawi, the Beja Congress, and the Democratic Unionist Party, among others.
Al-Wathiq al-Bireir, Secretary-General of the National Umma Party, said the Addis Ababa meeting aimed to agree on the foundations and mechanisms for preparing a comprehensive Sudanese political process.
He said his party remained committed to rejecting the return of the National Congress Party and the Islamic Movement to the political scene after the war.
