Sudan’s Declaration of Freedom and Change (DFC), a consortium of civil society, labor and political organizations spearheading the ongoing popular revolution, said it would return to negotiating with the ruling military council if it concedes to an international probe to look into violence used to disperse protesters. The DFC also said it refuses revising previous agreements. Mohamed Naji al-Assam, a member of the secretariat of the Sudanese Professionals Association, explained that forming the investigative body does not necessarily mean that dialogue will need to wait until results are found. In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, he said that preliminary approval to form the body could pave the way to resuming negotiations. The Transitional Military Council (TMC) has, however, voiced its refusal of such a probe and called on the DFC to return to negotiations within 24 hours. “We handed over to the Ethiopian mediator all prerequisite conditions and demands,” Assam noted, adding that they will be relayed to the TMC. “The presence of mediation, support and close monitoring from the international community allows for following through with the peace process thoroughly,” he stressed. Assam pointed out that the TMC admission that some of its members violently dispersed the sit-in undermines the credibility of its investigation and justifies the opposition’s demand for an independent probe. As for moving Sudan peace talks to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Assam said it came upon the request of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who was unable to make his scheduled trip to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, last week. Nevertheless, Assam clarified that the invitation to move talks was pushed back after the DFC pointed out that there is no need to take that step yet as talks in Sudan have not reached a dead end.