Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan has issued a decision ordering the dismissal of criminal cases filed by state authorities against Sudanese nationals living abroad because of their political views or activities, provided that they return to the country to participate in the Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue. The move represents the first formal legal implementation of his previous pledges to provide guarantees for participants in the political process.
Justice Minister Abdullah Darf announced that the decision, No. 363 of 2026, was issued in response to a request by the Dialogue Preparatory Committee for written legal guarantees for returning Sudanese, rather than relying solely on political and security assurances.
The decision provides for the dismissal of public-rights cases initiated by state institutions against citizens abroad over acts or statements related to their political positions. It also grants participants temporary procedural immunity beginning upon their entry into Sudan and extending for an appropriate period after the conclusion of the consultations. The immunity protects them from prosecution over opinions and positions expressed during the dialogue sessions.
The Justice Minister said the state’s role would be limited to providing legal, security, and logistical protection and facilitating the process, stressing that the government would neither set the dialogue’s agenda nor determine its outcomes.
However, opposition civil forces continue to question the initiative. Among them is the Sumoud Alliance, which criticized the African Union’s endorsement of the initiative, arguing that dialogue taking place while the war continues does not, in its view, provide the conditions required for a credible political process.
Why does this matter?
The decision removes a genuine legal obstacle to the return of opposition figures, making the success of the dialogue initiative measurable: Will prominent political figures and forces actually respond and return to Sudan?
If they do, the process would gain new political weight. If they do not, it would indicate that the crisis surrounding the dialogue is deeper than the issue of legal guarantees alone.
