SPLM-RDC and Somoud Civilian Alliance Reject Burhan's National Dialogue Initiative

Sudan's political opposition split further on August 17, 2026 over Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's national dialogue initiative, announced August 15. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement–Revolutionary Democratic Current (SPLM-RDC), led by Yasir Arman, said the crisis 'goes beyond the war,' arguing it is tied to state-building and the presence of multiple armies and militias in Sudan, and criticized the process as insufficient to address root causes. The Somoud civilian alliance, led by former PM Abdalla Hamdok, separately rejected any dialogue held while fighting continues, warning that a process confined to army-held areas risked 'consolidating the unofficial division' of the country and insisting any political process must start with an end to the war and address the humanitarian catastrophe. Supporters of the initiative, including lawyer Nabil Adib, argued ending the war could be one of the dialogue's outcomes if participants agree, while critics noted any consensus reached would still require RSF buy-in to be enforceable, despite the RSF's exclusion from the process.