The Intra-Sudanese Dialogue. The Quintet and The Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS) Dr El-Tahir El-F

01:33 AM September, 11 2026

Sudanese Online
Dr.El-Tahir El-Faki-UK
My Library
Short URL



The Intra-Sudanese Dialogue. The Quintet and The Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS)

Dr El-Tahir El-Faki

The current political circumstances in Sudan require clarity about the respective roles of the Sudanese and international actors.

The intra-Sudanese dialogue should remain fundamentally a Sudanese-owned and Sudanese-led process. The initiative should not become an externally imposed political settlement, nor should international actors decide its participants, agenda, or ultimate outcome.

The Sudanese Dialogue Preparatory Committee therefore has an important responsibility. Its task should be to create the conditions for a credible national conversation, reach out to the widest possible range of political and civil forces, ease confidence-building, and help set up an acceptable framework for the dialogue.

The international and regional Quintet—including the United Nations, African Union, European Union, Arab League, and IGAD—has an important complementary role. The Quintet has already engaged the Sudanese authorities and the preparatory structures for the dialogue, including its meeting with General Abdel Fatah al-Burhan in Khartoum on 9 September. Its involvement should help connect the Sudanese track with wider regional and international peace efforts while respecting Sudanese ownership of the political process.

The Quintet should therefore act primarily as a supporter, facilitator, and source of confidence, rather than as the author of Sudan’s political settlement.

Its role can be particularly valuable in encouraging the parties to keep communication, supporting confidence-building measures, helping coordinate international and regional initiatives, and reinforcing the principle that there is no sustainable military solution to Sudan’s crises.
At the same time, the Quintet must keep a careful balance. It should not be perceived as taking sides in Sudan’s political competition or as endorsing the position of any Sudanese constituency. The ultimate responsibility remains with Sudanese political and civil forces.

International support can create space for dialogue, but it cannot substitute for Sudanese political will. A sustainable settlement will only appear when Sudanese actors themselves are prepared to compromise, accept political pluralism and recognize that no single faction can monopolize the future of the country.

Inclusivity Does Not Mean Recognition
The invitation for TASIS to take part in the dialogue should not be construed as conferring any formal political, legal, or constitutional status. Participation in an intra-Sudanese dialogue is therefore fundamentally distinct from recognition. Engagement with relevant Sudanese stakeholders may be necessary to address the country’s crisis and explore pathways towards peace, but such engagement should not be interpreted as endorsing the claims, institutional status, legitimacy, or positions of any participant.
This principle should apply consistently to all Sudanese stakeholders. Participation in the dialogue does not decide or alter the status of any participant. Equally, non-participation should not be treated as a substitute for assessing the substantive issues before the dialogue.

An inclusive dialogue should provide a forum in which different Sudanese perspectives can be presented, challenged, discussed, and considered as part of a genuine effort to reach a sustainable Sudanese political settlement.
So, the Preparatory Committee should keep a clear distinction between inclusion, engagement, and recognition. These are separate concepts and should not be conflated. Inclusivity is a means of easing dialogue; it is not an act of recognition.
Inclusion is procedural, while recognition is political/legal.

Arabic Forum