The Democratic Civil Alliance, known as Somoud and led by former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, has officially announced its decision to boycott the upcoming Sudanese political consultations facilitated by the quintet mechanism in Addis Ababa.
The quintet mechanism—which brings together the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the Arab League—was established to bridge deep divisions among Sudan’s diverse political and civic factions regarding the structure, venue, and participating parties of any prospective peace process.
According to Bakry Eljack, the spokesman for Somoud, the coalition formally communicated its stance via a letter sent to the mediating mechanism. The correspondence outlines critical observations concerning the current mediation methodology and champions a genuinely Sudanese-led process that places the immediate establishment of a humanitarian truce above all else.
Rather than participating in broad-based meetings in Ethiopia involving more than 30 individual invitees, Somoud has advocated for the creation of a joint preparatory committee. This committee would represent key anti-war coalitions to effectively manage preliminary consultations and build authentic consensus around a unified dialogue agenda.
Furthermore, the Somoud alliance emphasized that a sustainable and durable political solution requires a deliberate foundation of trust-building. This necessitates securing firm, binding commitments from the warring parties to honor any negotiated outcomes. Crucially, the coalition insists that remnants of the former regime and the Islamic movement must be strictly excluded from shaping Sudan’s future political landscape.
In stark contrast to Somoud’s position, Mubarak Ardol, leader of the Democratic Block, announced his alliance’s intention to attend the scheduled August 2 consultations in Ethiopia. However, Ardol maintained that any serious political process must ultimately culminate in an inclusive national dialogue held inside Sudan itself, completely free from external dictates. Ardol further conditioned his bloc’s future engagement with the pro-Rapid Support Forces (RSF) “Tasis” coalition on its civil components severing all formal ties with the paramilitary group, dismantling parallel governance structures, and explicitly condemning violations committed against civilians.
