Sudanese Anti-War Blocs Reject Burhan Dialogue Plan

Addis Ababa, August 23, 2026 - Sudanese anti-war political and civil groups rejected army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's proposed domestic dialogue, deepening the divide over how to end the war and restore civilian rule.

The decision followed two days of consultations in Addis Ababa involving signatories to the Sudanese Declaration of Principles, the Popular Congress Party, the National Umma Party, civil society groups, women and youth networks, academics, and independent figures not aligned with the warring parties.

Participants included former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, Sudan Liberation Movement leader Abdel Wahid al-Nur, Umma Party figure Mubarak al-Fadil, and other civilian leaders. The groups said they would neither join the proposed Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue nor recognize its outcomes, arguing that a process held in areas under one side's control would entrench military rule and risk legitimizing Sudan's de facto fragmentation.

The coalition instead proposed a peace process under an agreed independent international umbrella, built around three simultaneous tracks: urgent humanitarian access, a permanent ceasefire, and an exclusively civilian political process. It said the armed parties should be confined to ceasefire and humanitarian negotiations, while former ruling party networks and affiliated entities should be excluded from the political track.

For investors and donors, the position underscores that Sudan's political settlement remains contested, with civilian groups pressing for international mediation and a ceasefire before any governance transition can gain broad legitimacy.