Sudan FM: Political dialogue to begin soon

Sudan will soon announce the start of political dialogue, Foreign Minister Mohieddin Salem said on Wednesday, adding that contacts were under way at various levels to prepare for its launch.

In an interview with Al–Arabia network’s Mazeeg Podcast platform, Salem said: “There are many contacts taking place at various levels with political parties, women, young people, civil administration and Sufi orders, and we will announce the start of the dialogue soon.”

Sudan has been at war since April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), leaving tens of thousands dead and around 13 million displaced, according to UN and international estimates.

Salem said the Sudanese government was “open to every sincere effort” to achieve lasting peace in the country, but stressed that it rejected “partial solutions involving truces, ceasefires and humanitarian issues”.

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“These are exaggerations of what they call initiatives. There is nothing more than a set of statements and media talk, and we have not received a comprehensive initiative with a unified vision from any of these groups,” he said.

“Anyone who wants to engage in dialogue with us is welcome in Sudan, and we will soon announce the start of this dialogue,” he added.

Salem criticised international initiatives concerning the Sudanese crisis, saying they had become “experiments by people who do not want to listen to all sides with transparency and fairness”.

He said conferences and meetings held in several cities “ignore most Sudanese, including displaced people, those returning to areas controlled by the army and those who support the armed forces”.

He accused those behind the initiatives of insisting on “the narrative imposed on them” and seeking to impose it on Sudanese people.

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