Sudan anti-war forces warn UN envoy: Burhan’s dialogue could entrench division and legitimise ruling authorities

Representatives of the Declaration of Principles forces meet Pekka Haavisto, the UN secretary-general’s personal envoy to Sudan, on Saturday to discuss developments in the political crisis and efforts to end the war. They stress that any political process that does not begin with ending the fighting and protecting civilians risks becoming a cover for entrenching the country’s division and legitimising de facto authorities.

During the meeting in Nairobi, the representatives convey their position on the political dialogue proposed by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Their objection, they explain, is not to the principle of dialogue itself, but to the framework being proposed, and the way it could entrench the political and geographical realities created by the war.

The Declaration of Principles forces stress in a statement that launching a political process from one of the centres of power involved in the war, or organising it through arrangements that reproduce unilateral control over state institutions, would not provide a genuine route out of the crisis. Such a course, they warn, could legitimise division and entrench parallel authorities on the ground.

The representatives say the desired dialogue must form part of a comprehensive political process that begins with an end to the war, protection for civilians, and action to address the humanitarian situation, before restoring the unity of state institutions and ultimately establishing a unified, democratic civilian government.

The delegation also briefs the UN envoy on developments among civilian forces opposed to the war, and what it describes as a widening circle of forces rejecting polarisation between the two sides of the conflict. It also presents the outcome of the consultative meeting held in Addis Ababa on 22 and 23 August, which demonstrates growing convergence among civilian and political forces over the foundations for ending the war and building a broader, more representative political process.

According to the statement, the meeting also discusses the anti-war forces’ position on the international Quintet, their reservations about its approach, and mechanisms for determining which parties should take part in the political process and ensuring their representation.

The Declaration of Principles forces stress that their reservations do not mean they reject engagement with the Quintet. But they insist that there must first be agreement on the nature of the political process, its participants, and its terms of reference, as well as safeguards for the independence of civilian decision-making and against any one body monopolising representation of anti-war forces.

At the end of the meeting, the forces renew their readiness to co-operate with regional and international efforts to end the war, provided these lead to a process that preserves Sudan’s unity, prevents the entrenchment of de facto authorities, and paves the way for a sustainable democratic civilian transition.

Note: This article has been translated from Arabic with the assistance of artificial intelligence, and subsequently reviewed and adapted by a human editor before publication.