Sudan

Sudan’s leading pro-democracy group has met the country’s generals for the first time since last year’s military coup, the United States Embassy in Sudan has said, in what could signal a breakthrough in attempts to bring the country’s democratic transition back on track.

Talks aiming at ending Sudan’s ongoing political deadlock began Wednesday, the United Nations said, although the country’s main pro-democracy alliance is boycotting them over a continued police crackdown on those protesting last October’s military coup.

Sudan's military leadership is embarking on talks with civilian groups. But critics warn that the supression of opposition to military rule continues and that the country's economic crisis is getting worse.

The Security Council decided today to extend the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) until 3 June 2023.

The intra-Sudanese dialogue process would be launched next week, announced the facilitators, as the continued detention of 70 political activists and use of violence cast doubt over the FFC’s [Forces for Freedom and Change] participation.

Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Sunday lifted a state of emergency imposed since last year's military coup, the ruling sovereign council said. … The order was made "to prepare the atmosphere for a fruitful and meaningful dialogue that achieves stability for the transitional period", it added.

[…] Volker Perthes, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), told members that the situation has remained precarious since his last briefing. 7

The trilateral mechanism, on Thursday, launched preliminary talks with the Sudanese stakeholders aiming to end the current political crisis in the country.

The divergence of views within the tripartite mechanism over who is eligible to take part in the intra-Sudanese dialogue to end the political crisis in Sudan led to the postponement of the preliminary meeting. Sources close to the process said that a disagreement about who can take part in the process between the African Union Special Envoy Mohamed El-Hacen Ould Lebatt and Head of UNITAMS Volker Perthes.

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union on Wednesday called on the Sudanese military authorities to create an environment conducive to dialogue in the country ahead of an intra-Sudanese process.