Khartoum: The Sudanese Dialogue Preparatory Initiative has outlined a set of guarantees and temporary procedural immunities it considers necessary to ensure a safe and conducive environment for an inclusive national dialogue to be held inside Sudan.
According to Sudan News Agency, in a statement issued following a press conference at Al Salam Rotana Hotel on Sunday, the Initiative welcomed the Sudanese state's commitment to providing a secure environment for the dialogue and acknowledged the initial guarantees put forward in this regard. It stressed, however, that such guarantees must be clear, written, and verifiable, while remaining open to consultation and further development with the relevant parties.
Among its key requirements, the Initiative called for the suspension of all cases and complaints filed by any state institution against Sudanese nationals residing abroad who return to the country to participate in preliminary consultations or a subsequent dialogue. This would apply to cases related to acts committed or political opinions expressed by such individuals, including the suspension of all charges associated with those cases.
The Initiative further called for participants in the consultations and subsequent dialogue to be granted temporary procedural immunity, preventing the initiation of criminal proceedings against them from the date of their arrival in Sudan until their departure following the completion of their participation.
It also stressed that no criminal proceedings should be initiated against any individual on the basis of an opinion expressed during the consultations or dialogue, where that opinion is directly or indirectly related to the dialogue or to issues raised, or expected to be raised, during the process.
The Initiative called for the creation of a broader climate of freedoms that would allow all Sudanese citizens to express their views on the dialogue, both inside and outside the dialogue venues. It also called for the protection of consultation and dialogue venues and for preventing any attempt to influence the outcome of the dialogue through the use of state authority.
The Initiative emphasized that the role of the state should be limited to providing guarantees, facilitation, and protection in a manner that safeguards the independence of the dialogue and ensures Sudanese ownership of its outcomes, without interference in determining its participants, agenda, or results.
The Initiative said its launch comes at a critical moment in Sudan's history, as the country continues to endure the devastating consequences of war, including threats to citizens' security, livelihoods, dignity, and future.
A group of Sudanese men and women has launched the independent national effort to prepare the conditions for a Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue and facilitate preliminary consultations. The objective is to help prevent further conflict and place the country on a path that preserves state unity, strengthens institutional stability, and promotes the well-being of its citizens.
The Initiative said it was founded on the conviction that the Sudanese people, who have paid a heavy price in security, stability, and livelihoods, deserve a sincere national process that places their suffering at the forefront and works towards ending the war and rebuilding the state on mutually agreed national foundations.
It stressed that the Initiative does not claim any representation or mandate beyond what Sudanese themselves may agree upon. Its role, it said, is confined to preparation, facilitation, and consultation, with the aim of creating a conducive environment and listening to the views of different parties regarding the conditions for a comprehensive dialogue to be held inside Sudan through a purely Sudanese process.
At this stage, the Initiative said its role is to help create a suitable environment, build confidence, and facilitate preliminary consultations with political, civilian, and community forces inside and outside Sudan.
The consultations are intended to help develop a shared understanding of the conditions, methodology, and guarantees required for dialogue. The Initiative said it would listen to the concerns and expectations of different parties, collect their proposals, and help bring their views closer together.
This process, it added, is intended to pave the way for a consensual agenda in which stakeholders themselves participate in determining the issues to be addressed, without imposing a predetermined process or agenda.
Addressing the Sudanese people, the Initiative acknowledged the immense suffering caused by the war, including the loss of lives, violations of human dignity-particularly against women-displacement, refugee flows into neighboring countries, the loss of livelihoods, deteriorating services, insecurity, and the widespread destruction of public and private infrastructure and property.
It stressed that Sudan can only recover through the will of its citizens and that lasting peace can only be achieved through an inclusive national process beginning with serious preparations for dialogue.
The Initiative said the rights of citizens to security and a dignified life must remain among the foremost priorities of any future political process.
It described the initiative as a response to the Sudanese people's desire to end the war, prevent the recurrence of cycles of violence, and build a safer future for coming generations.
The Initiative expressed appreciation for the efforts of political, civilian, and community forces seeking to help Sudan overcome its current crisis, complete its democratic transition, and rebuild the state on the foundations of justice, citizenship, and the rule of law.
It invited all political, civilian, and community forces, without exclusion, to engage in preliminary consultations on the conditions for a serious national dialogue, the concerns of the parties involved, the guarantees required, and the criteria for participation and representation.
The Initiative emphasized that Sudan cannot be governed through exclusion and that national consensus remains the only path towards overcoming the country's current historic challenges. Such consensus, it said, cannot begin with the announcement of a ready-made dialogue, but must instead be built through listening, consultation, and the establishment of a minimum level of confidence regarding the dialogue's conditions, methodology, and guarantees.
The Initiative expressed its appreciation to Sudan's sisterly and friendly countries, as well as regional and international organizations, for their supportive positions towards the Sudanese people. It said that preparing an independent national path for a Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue represents an important opportunity to place Sudan on a path towards security, development, and prosperity, while meeting the aspirations of its citizens for a dignified life.
The Initiative also said that such a process could help prevent the further expansion of the war and the potential threats it may pose to regional and international peace and security.
It called on the international community to support efforts aimed at preparation, consultation, and confidence-building while respecting Sudanese ownership of any serious dialogue process and refraining from interfering in its proceedings or outcomes.
In its concluding statement, the Initiative described its effort as a sincere call to rebuild trust among Sudanese people and begin preliminary consultations on the conditions for a serious, independent, safe, and inclusive national dialogue. It said the process should help lay the foundations for a stable transitional period based on national consensus, ultimately leading to free and fair elections that strengthen the authority of the people.
The Initiative expressed confidence in Sudan's ability to overcome its current ordeal, stressing that the Sudanese people deserve lasting peace and a just, united, and capable state that can manage its diversity and serve the interests of all its citizens.