Dialogue between Sudan rivals postponed

By Adel Abdel-Rahim

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) - The Tripartite Mechanism that supervises talks between Sudan’s rivals on Sunday postponed the intra-Sudanese dialogue.

"Sunday’s session was postponed, but the dialogue was not cancelled or suspended," an official with the Tripartite Mechanism said in statements cited by the state news agency SUNA.

The Tripartite Mechanism is a coordination body consisting of the African Union, the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development.

The intra-Sudanese dialogue started on Wednesday in an effort to resolve a months-long political crisis in the country. The talks, however, were boycotted by major pro-democracy groups.

On Thursday, representatives of the Forces for Freedom and Change opposition coalition met for the first time in months with military officials under Saudi-US auspices.

Sudan has been in turmoil since Oct. 25, 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency, in a move decried by political groups as a “military coup.”

Prior to the military takeover, Sudan was governed by a sovereign council of military and civilian officials tasked with overseeing the transition period until elections in 2023.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara