Sudanese political and civil forces opposed to the war and independent of both sides called for the exclusion of the dissolved National Congress Party, the Islamic movement, which they described as the Muslim Brotherhood, and their affiliated fronts from the anticipated political process. They also rejected granting legitimacy to de facto authorities emerging from the war.
Civilian forces present their vision to the Quintet
They stressed that ending the conflict requires empowering civilian forces to lead an inclusive Sudanese peace process that leads to a sustainable democratic transition. The Sudanese forces presented their demands during a meeting held by a delegation of theirs on Monday with the Quintet at the African Union headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
The meeting focused on ways to stop the war and launch a peace process led and owned by Sudanese people, as part of a political drive seeking to combine efforts to address the humanitarian crisis, halt the fighting and restore the civilian track. The delegation included representatives of the Sudanese Declaration of Principles Forces, led by the Civil Democratic Forces Alliance, Somoud, the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Nur, and the Popular Congress Party.
The delegation also included representatives of civil society organisations, women’s and youth networks, as well as public figures involved in anti-war efforts. In a statement issued after the meeting, the civilian forces said that the design and leadership of the political process must genuinely include political and civil forces independent of the warring parties.
Participation criteria and exclusion of former regime forces
They called for fair participation criteria to prevent the process from being monopolised or dominated by any party, ensuring that the settlement is not reduced to understandings between armed forces. The statement stressed that any political settlement should exclude the National Congress Party, the Islamic movement and their affiliated fronts, to prevent forces linked to the former regime from being brought back into transitional political arrangements.
The forces also rejected granting legitimacy to de facto authorities created by the war, saying that preserving Sudan’s unity, both its land and its people, requires a comprehensive settlement based on civilian will rather than military balances of power.
Immediate truce and three tracks to end the war
The forces placed reaching an immediate and unconditional humanitarian truce at the top of their priorities, describing it as an urgent measure to protect civilians, ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to those affected and create the conditions needed to launch an inclusive peace process. They presented the Quintet with a vision comprising three interconnected tracks: an urgent humanitarian response, a ceasefire and the start of political dialogue.
According to the vision, the dialogue must address the deep-rooted causes of the Sudanese crisis and lay the foundations for a just peace and a sustainable civilian democratic transition. The forces stressed that the success of the political track depends on their participation in establishing its foundations and managing its stages, so that it does not become an understanding limited to armed parties at the expense of Sudanese aspirations for peace and civilian rule.
Calls to end external support and hold violators accountable
The civilian forces also called for expanding the arms embargo to cover all Sudanese territory and ending all forms of external support that contribute to fuelling the war. They demanded that sources of military-operation funding be cut off, stringent pressure measures be imposed on the parties to the conflict and those obstructing peace efforts, and those responsible for atrocities and violations against civilians be held accountable.
They stressed the importance of linking diplomatic moves aimed at ending the war with practical measures that limit the warring parties’ ability to continue fighting. They said this link is necessary to prevent political initiatives from remaining hostage to military escalation and to turn international and regional efforts from meetings and consultations into tangible steps that ease humanitarian suffering and support prospects for reaching a settlement.
Regarding mediation tracks, the forces called for unifying regional and international efforts under a joint coordinating umbrella bringing together the Quad, the Quintet and the Troika, with the aim of overcoming the fragmentation of initiatives and improving prospects for a comprehensive settlement. They affirmed that they would continue communicating with mechanisms concerned with the Sudan file, while working to broaden the base of civilian forces opposed to the war and independent of both sides, and to unify their efforts.
The forces renewed their commitment to working to restore the Sudanese people’s right to security, freedom and civilian democratic rule. They said that stopping the war is linked to completing the goals of the December Revolution and building a civilian democratic state based on peace, justice and broad political participation, away from the dominance of military forces or the return of former regime networks to power.
