Sudan’s national dialogue welcomed by major alliance

The Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) has welcomed the launch of a national dialogue facilitated by the UN and African Union next week.

“We welcome the planned launch of dialogue between Sudanese parties,” senior SFR official Khaled Shawish told the state news agency SUNA.

He said his front has met with representatives of the UN, AU and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) regarding the planned dialogue.

READ MORE: Sudanese people protest against military rule in anniversary

Shawish said calls by the dialogue sponsors for lifting the state of emergency, release of political prisoners and scrapping the freedom-restricting laws “provide a suitable atmosphere for the dialogue.”

The SFR is an alliance of political and armed groups formed in 2011 to oppose the regime of former President Omar al-Bashir. 

Sudan has been in turmoil since October 25, 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency, a move decried by political forces 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.

READ MORE: Aid group: New deaths in Sudan's Darfur take toll to 180