Sudan on Wednesday began UN-facilitated direct talks between rival factions hoped to resolve a political crisis sparked by last year’s coup, but with a critical civilian bloc refusing to participate. “It is important to not let this moment slip,” United Nations special representative Volker Perthes told reporters in Khartoum. “We are asking everybody to work with one another in good faith.” Sudan has been rocked by deepening unrest, near-weekly protests, a violent crackdown that has killed over 100 people and a tumbling economy since the 25 October power grab led by army chief Abdel Fattah Al-…