Al-Burhan Agrees to Drop Public-Right Cases Against Opposition Figures Abroad

Head of the National Forces Coordination, Mohamed Sayed Ahmed Sir Al-Khatim (Al-Jakoumi), has disclosed that President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan has agreed to drop public-right cases filed against a number of Sudanese opposition figures abroad, as part of efforts to create a conducive climate and atmosphere for holding the Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue from within the country.

Al-Jakoumi told Al-Muhaqqiq that he spoke with Al-Burhan following their return from meetings of the Quintet Mechanism in Addis Ababa, during a meeting that lasted about two hours with various Sudanese political forces. The meeting addressed, in a transparent manner, the creation of a political environment conducive to holding the Sudanese dialogue inside Sudan.

He explained that he stressed to Al-Burhan that creating the appropriate climate and conditions for holding the Sudanese dialogue from within requires dropping the public-right cases, rather than merely suspending or shelving them. He noted that Sudan’s political history under previous regimes had witnessed similar reconciliations with opposition figures.
“We must not give the international community an opportunity to use these cases as a pretext,” he said, referring to the need to resolve the issue in a manner that would help create a suitable environment for dialogue and facilitate the return of opposition figures from abroad.

Regarding private-right cases, Al-Jakoumi said he asked the TSC President about the possibility of suspending those cases. He explained that if there are individuals who have been harmed in connection with such cases, they could be reactivated and consideration of them deferred until the conclusion of the dialogue process.
He confirmed that Al-Burhan also agreed to this proposal, adding that, according to Al-Jakoumi, the TSC President said: “We will go even further and discuss this matter with the Attorney General.”

Al-Jakoumi said he explained to Al-Burhan that the matter requires a presidential pardon, considering that this would be a better and faster way to create the appropriate atmosphere for the dialogue.

Al-Jakoumi further revealed that Al-Burhan expressed during the meeting his desire for all Sudanese political forces and figures currently abroad to return and participate in the Sudanese dialogue, with the exception of the Tasis entity. He stressed that the President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council categorically rejected the participation of this entity in the dialogue.

He noted that Al-Burhan affirmed that Sudan itself should take precedence over the international community in conducting the Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue, explaining that meetings are being held with political and community forces to move forward with efforts to convene the dialogue inside the country.

He further confirmed that the TSC President stressed during the meeting that no one would subsequently come with weapons to participate in power, and that elections would be the decisive means of attaining and participating in power.