The US embassy in Khartoum said the talks were focused on resolving the country’s political deadlock.
The US Embassy in Sudan said that Sudan’s top pro-democracy group met with the country’s generals for the first time since last year’s military coup, the US Embassy in Sudan said, which could signal a breakthrough in efforts to get the country’s democratic transition back on track.
The meeting was held late on Thursday in the capital, Khartoum, and brought together the Force for Declarations of Freedom and Change (FDFC) – a coalition of political parties and protest groups – along with representatives of the country’s ruling military council, the US Embassy. said on Friday.
The embassy said the talks were focused on resolving the current political impasse and were brokered by the Saudi Embassy and the US mission in Sudan.
“We thank the participants for their candid and constructive engagement and willingness to end the political crisis and build a peaceful, just and democratic Sudan,” it said.
Since the army takes over in Octoberthe same pro-democracy group refused to sit with the generals at the negotiating table, insisting they should first hand over power to a civilian government, end the violence against protesters and release for all detainees.
“We look forward to having two of the most influential countries in the region and the world still support the Sudanese people and pro-democracy forces,” the FDFC said in a statement, referring to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia and America.
The meeting, which the group called “informal”, took place at the Khartoum residence of Saudi Ambassador Ali bin Hassan Jaafar.
The group said it had agreed to draw up a road map in consultation with other civic groups on how to end the current political deadlock and hand it over to the international community, according to the statement.
FDFC previously boycotted military-civilian negotiations began earlier this week under the auspices of the United Nations political mission in Sudan, the African Union and the East African group of eight countries, the Intergovernmental Agency for Development. It has criticized the involvement of pro-military groups and individuals allied with the old regime.
The military takeover has pushed back Sudan’s fragile short-lived democratic transition and plunged the country into turmoil. The coup also sparked near-daily street protests, for which the authorities have faced a deadly crackdown. More than 100 people have Killed since Octoberaccording to a medical team monitoring casualties.
Last week, a United Nations human rights expert on Sudan call for accelerate investigations into the killings of protesters and other atrocities.
Hundreds of people, including prominent politicians and activists, have been detained since the coup, although many have been released recently as part of confidence-building measures.
The military takeover also provoked widespread international condemnation and sanctions, including cutting key aid by Western governments while Western governments continued their transition to the United States. civil regime.
Sudan, one of the world’s poorest countries, is also grappling with an economic slowdown caused by decades of international isolation and mismanagement under former President Omar al-Bashir.
A popular uprising prompted the army to remove al-Bashir in April 2019.
