Its representative in the talks cited lack of transparency and exclusion of important political actors from the process.

Mohamed Belaish, the AU representative in Khartoum was quoted by the state-run Sudan news agency as saying that "the African Union cannot participate in a process that is not based on transparency, honesty and non-exclusion".

He said the AU would “not participate in a process that does not respect all the actors and treat them with full respect and on an equal footing".

The AU and the regional bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) had previously backed the UN-led intra-Sudanese dialogue process, which began on 8 June.

The dialogue was however postponed indefinitely a few days later, after the former ruling Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition refused to join its sessions.

The FFC is demanding the military to leave power and return power to a civilian transitional government.