KHARTOUM — The first dialogue between the Sudanese parties kicked off Wednesday at the invitation of the joint tripartite committee between the United Nations Mission, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in East Africa (IGAD).

The head of the UN mission in Sudan, Volker Perethes, announced in a press conference in Khartoum, "The Sudanese parties have begun to discuss the dialogue's agenda."

"Our goal is to bring the point of views closer through direct dialogue between the Sudanese to end the crisis in the country," he said.

In turn, the representative of the African Union, Mohamad El-Hassan Wad Labat, stressed that "dialogue is the only way to end the political crisis in Sudan." IGAD is leading efforts to push the Sudanese parties to dialogue and bridge the growing gap between the military and civilians since the army seized power on October 25, 2021. — Agencies