Mahmoud Ali Youssef, Chairperson of the African Union Commission
Rhino: Agencies – Sudanese anti-war forces have intensified their opposition to the African Union Commission’s endorsement of Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s initiative for dialogue, and on Wednesday submitted a memorandum containing a formal complaint to the African Union Peace and Security Council and the Commission on Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, warning that the initiative violates African Union resolutions and threatens to entrench Sudan’s division.
The memorandum was signed by the Sudanese Declaration of Principles coalition, the Umma Party, and the Popular Congress Party, along with civil society organizations, women’s and youth networks, and public figures including intellectuals, academics, writers, and cultural figures.
The coalition announced its rejection and condemnation of the African Union Commission’s statement issued on August 31, which welcomed what Al-Burhan called the “Sudanese-Sudanese Dialogue Initiative,” arguing that the statement went beyond the position of the African Union Peace and Security Council and made no mention of a humanitarian truce or a ceasefire, even though the Council had placed both at the top of its priorities.
The memorandum stated that welcoming an initiative managed solely by the army commander—who led the October 25, 2021, coup—contradicts the essence of the African Union’s decision to suspend Sudan’s participation in its activities until the effective restoration of legitimate civilian authority and also contradicts the Union’s policy rejecting unconstitutional changes in governance.
The forces accused the Commission of ignoring the principles they had put forward during their direct consultations with the African Union and the Quintet, and which were included in their joint position paper issued following the Addis Ababa meetings on August 22 and 23.
These principles include ensuring full Sudanese ownership of the political process, prioritizing an end to the war and addressing the humanitarian crisis, and excluding the National Congress Party, the Islamic Movement, and their proxies, “based on their documented role in igniting and perpetuating the war.”
The coalition warned that holding a partial dialogue within an area controlled by one of the warring parties—without the participation of the majority of Sudanese or a commitment to a cessation of hostilities—would entrench political division in the country, compounding the division already present on the ground as a result of the ongoing war.
They called on the African Union Peace and Security Council to compel the Commission to provide an official clarification regarding the rationale behind its statement, to uphold the priority of a humanitarian truce and a comprehensive ceasefire, and to ensure that the African Union remains a neutral and credible party.
It also called for unifying mediation tracks—particularly the efforts of the quadripartite and quintet mechanisms—within a single, coordinated framework, thereby preventing the proliferation of conflicting initiatives.
The anti-war forces affirmed their readiness to cooperate and engage in ongoing consultation with the African Union and its bodies, stressing that a just and sustainable peace is the only way to save Sudan’s unity and preserve the dignity of its people.
