AU, UN call on Sudanese parties to urgently resume dialogue

KHARTOUM, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) on Thursday warned against consequences of the ongoing political crisis in Sudan and called on political parties to urgently resume dialogue.

The AU Special Envoy to Sudan Mohamed Hacen Lebatt and Head of the UN Integrated Transitional Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) Volker Perthes on Thursday held a joint press conference in Khartoum as part of the two organizations' joint endeavors to facilitate a dialogue among the Sudanese parties.

"All the indicators available to us now in the AU and UN indicate that Sudan is in grave danger, and if its people failed to agree, it may rush to what no patriot desires," said Lebatt at the press conference.

For his part, Perthes said "any consensus on the structures of the transitional period and governance institutions, particularly with regard to the position of prime minister, must be Sudanese."

On Jan. 10, the UNITAMS launched an intra-Sudanese political process to end the country's political crisis and Perthes has been in consultations with Sudanese political parties and civil forces in the country.

Recently, the AU joined the UN to seek to reach a political settlement in Sudan.

Sudan has been suffering a political crisis after the general commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency on Oct. 25, 2021 and dissolved the Sovereign Council and the government.

Since then, the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and other cities have been witnessing continued protests demanding for a return to civilian rule.