Sudan's main opposition coalition and the ruling military council have formally signed a final power-sharing deal, paving the way for a transition to a civilian-led government.

The landmark agreement signed on Saturday in the capital Khartoum came after a long period of negotiations following the overthrow of longtime leader President Omar al-Bashir in the wake of mass protests.

The deal was inked between Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy chief of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), and Ahmed al-Rabie, who represented the Alliance for Freedom and Change umbrella group.

The ceremony was attended by heads of states, prime ministers and dignitaries from several countries, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir.

What the deal means

The power-sharing deal creates a joint military and civilian sovereign council to rule for a little over three years until elections can be held.

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Under the agreement, a military leader would head the 11-member council for the first 21 months, followed by a civilian leader for the next 18. It would also establish a cabinet appointed by the activists and a legislative body.

Sudan's sovereign council would include TMC head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the deputy Dagalo and Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta, the TMC's spokesperson told Sky News Arabia.

Under a power-sharing agreement, the sovereign council would include five members selected by the TMC, five picked by the main opposition coalition, and one agreed upon by both sides.

The military's two remaining members would be named at a later time, Shams El Din Kabbashi said.

The deal also included the establishment of an independent investigation into the crackdown on protesters by the security forces.

In June, troops violently dispersed the protesters' main sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum, killing dozens of people and plunging the fragile transition into crisis.

Mixed reactions

Al Jazeera's Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said there were mixed reactions to the agreement.

"People at the venue where the agreement [was] signed are excited, they were chanting even before this agreement was signed. They are saying that they finally have a civilian government," Morgan said.

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"But in the streets ... people say they are cautiously optimistic. They are worried that the military council may delay the implementation of some clauses, and therefore will hold on to power longer, or will find a way to push the civilians out of power, and will continue maintaining control of the government until elections are held," she added.

Meanwhile, thousands of people arrived on trains from Sudan's provinces to take part in the celebrations, which included a huge gathering in Khartoum's main gardens.



"We hope Sudan can move forward now, we want to be proud of our country," said Saida Khalifa, as she got off the train after an all-night ride from Atbara, the town where the protests started in December last year.



"The guns must go silent now and we must pull the country out of this mess to gain peace and freedom," she said.

Abdelwahab El-Affendi, a professor at Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, called the deal "positive news" which "should be celebrated". But he said the civilian government would face major challenges ahead.

"People have been waiting for this moment for a long time. [And] they expect that the next morning, when the prime minister sits in office, things will change," El-Affendi said.

"Of course, that's not going to be the case simply because the demonstrations have also brought the state capacity down, the economy has been eroded, and the state's capacity to intervene has been reduced."

Sudanese protesters from the city of Atbara arrive at the Bahari station in Khartoum [Ahmed Mustafa / AFP]

After weeks of tense negotiations, Sudan's TMC and protest leaders reached a preliminary agreement earlier this month following international pressure and concerns that the political crisis could ignite civil war.

The constitutional declaration deal reached on August 4 brought an end to nearly eight months of upheaval that saw masses mobilise against al-Bashir, who was removed in April after 30 years in power.

The agreement, brokered by the African Union and Ethiopia, was welcomed with relief by both sides.

Protesters celebrated what they saw as the victory of their "revolution", while the generals took credit for averting a civil war. </s> The leaders of Sudan's pro-democracy movement and the country's ruling military council signed a power-sharing agreement on Wednesday. The two sides held a signing ceremony in the capital, Khartoum, marking the end of three months of protests and negotiations. The document is a step toward civilian rule, but details of the agreement, including how power would be divided, still need to be worked out.

The deal establishes a joint civilian-military sovereign council to govern Sudan during a three-year transition period before elections. The council will be made up of five civilians, five people from the military, and an 11th person to be chosen by the council. A military leader will head the council for the first 21 months, and then a civilian leader will lead it for the following 18 months.

Further terms of the transitional period will be detailed in a constitutional declaration, but disagreements persist over how power would be shared among the sovereign council, the Cabinet and the legislative body, and some protesters have criticized the deal for not handing power over to civilians immediately.

There is also disagreement over an investigation into military leaders' role in the use of violence to crush protests, and whether they can have immunity from prosecution, according to The Associated Press.

On June 3, troops opened fire on demonstrators in Khartoum and killed at least 128 people.

On the day of the protest NPR spoke with the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, which was helping to coordinate the demonstrations. The committee told NPR of violence inflicted on protesters by Sudanese troops: "The Transitional Military Council forces are firing live ammunition inside East Nile Hospital and chasing peaceful protestors inside the hospital's campus. Royal Care Hospital in Buri area is under siege by the Transitional Military Council (TMC) forces at the moment. TMC's forces are preventing volunteers from reaching the hospital."

Wednesday in Khartoum, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan was a signatory for the military to the power-sharing deal. The New York Times reported on the signing, "Protest leaders are uncomfortable with the prominence of General Hamdan and his Rapid Support Forces, which have emerged as the dominant group in a byzantine security apparatus that under Mr. al-Bashir included military units, security agencies and semiofficial militias."

Former president Omar Hassan al-Bashir, a former military general, was ousted in April. He ruled Sudan for 30 years. Bashir is now wanted by international prosecutors for war crimes in Darfur. </s> Sudanese opposition groups declared victory for their “revolution” on Friday as the military junta agreed to a power-sharing deal until the transition to an elected civilian government is complete.

If the deal holds together, it will end a political crisis that began in April with the ouster of dictator Omar al-Bashir. Hundreds have been killed and injured during military crackdowns on pro-democracy demonstrators.

According to an African Union mediator, the power-sharing deal will “establish a sovereign council by rotation between the military and civilians for a period of three years or slightly more.”

The council will include five seats for military officers and six for civilian representatives. The junta must effectively approve one of the civilian members.

The mediator added that both sides agreed to conduct a “detailed, transparent, national, independent investigation into all the regrettable violent incidents that the country faced in recent weeks.”

The deal appears to resolve an impasse created by the military junta’s insistence that it should control executive power in Sudan until the years-long transition to civilian rule is complete. Previous power-sharing bargains have collapsed because the military insisted on holding more seats in the ruling council or installing a military officer as a supreme executive.

The compromise proposal will install a military officer as president of the ruling council for the first 21 months of its existence, to be followed by a civilian president. In exchange, civilian political groups will be able to appoint positions in the executive Cabinet.

“Today our revolution has won and our victory shines,” the Sudanese Professionals’ Association (SPA), the main opposition group, declared on Friday.

“We hope that the formation of transitional institutions marks the beginning of a new era. We hope it is an era where we can shut off the sound of pistols and destroy for good prisons of arbitrary detention,” said another opposition group, the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change (FDFC).

An FDFC leader conceded that the deal is not fully satisfying to the opposition but “it is a step forward to bring peace to our people.”

Military-controlled media outlets broadcast a message of “congratulations to the Sudanese people.”

The deal was struck after a brutal raid on an opposition sit-in camp resulted in numerous deaths and injuries, plus reports of rape and other human rights abuses by the infamous Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group loyal to the junta. Demonstrators turned out in even greater numbers after the raid, a show of determination that apparently convinced the junta to relent on some of its demands. </s> Sudanese pro-democracy supporters celebrate a final power-sharing agreement with the ruling military council Saturday, Aug 17, 2019, in the capital, Khartoum. The deal paves the way for a transition to civilian-led government following the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April. (AP Photo)

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s pro-democracy movement and ruling military council signed a final power-sharing agreement Saturday at a ceremony in the capital, Khartoum, after weeks of tortuous negotiations.

The historic deal paves the way for a transition to a civilian-led government after the military overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir months ago and the more recent deadly suppression of protests.

Earlier this month, the two sides initialed a constitutional document in the wake of international pressure and amid growing concerns that the political crisis that followed al-Bashir’s ouster could ignite civil war.

Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the military council, called the signing a “victorious and historic day for our nation.”

“The revolution has achieved its goals,” he said, vowing the military would guarantee the transition to civilian rule.

Protest leader Mohammed Naji al-Asam said the two sides have ushered in a “new page” in Sudan’s history after three decades of “repression and corruption.”

The power-sharing deal creates a joint military and civilian sovereign council to rule for a little over three years until elections can be held. A military leader is to head the 11-member council for the first 21 months, followed by a civilian leader for the next 18. Lt. Gen. Shams el-Din Kabashi, spokesman for the military council, said Burhan would be the initial leader.

The agreement also establishes a Cabinet appointed by the activists, as well as a legislative body to be assembled within three months. The protest coalition is to have a majority in that body, as nominated by the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change, a coalition of opposition parties and movements representing the protesters.

The two sides appeared to agree on the soundness of a deal that came about in part because of international pressure. Ethiopia and the African Union co-led mediation efforts between the military and protesters.

Many regional leaders and international envoys attended Saturday’s ceremony, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Attendees in the Friendship Hall where the ceremony took place received Ahmed with cheering and chanting.

But at least one analyst, Suliman Baldo, a senior researcher with the Enough Project, said the country will still face obstacles during the coming months of transition.

“Daunting challenges will face Sudan’s progress to democracy and sound governance, chief among them the survival of the elements of the former regime in the institutions of the transition,” Baldo said.

Still, the Sudanese celebrated in Khartoum and elsewhere across the country Saturday. Video posted online showed people celebrating in the streets in Darfur and the eastern province of Kassala.

Railway workers and other protesters had traveled to the capital Friday by train from Atbara, the northern transport hub where the uprising began in December.

The military overthrew al-Bashir in April following months of protests against his three-decade-long authoritarian rule. The protesters then remained in the streets, demanding a rapid transition to civilian leadership.

The ruling military council and the activists came under renewed pressure to reach an accord after security forces opened fire on student protesters on Aug. 1 in the city of Obeid, leaving six people dead. At least nine troops from the paramilitary Rapid Support forces were arrested over the killings.

In June, security forces violently dispersed the protesters’ main sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum, killing dozens of people and plunging the fragile transition into crisis. The power-sharing agreement includes the establishment of an independent investigation into the crackdown on protests, specifically the dispersal of the sit-in.

Former Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, the leader of the opposition Umma party, said the deal was a “first step” in the democratic change until “fair” elections are held.

“Today is the day of transition to civilian rule. … The next stage will be a test for us, without exclusion. We will open the door so all people can participate,” said al-Mahdi, who led Sudan’s last freely elected government before an Islamist-backed military coup in 1989.

Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy head of the military council, and protest leader Ahmad Rabie, who is a high school teacher, signed the deal. Both had initialed the documents earlier this month.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated the Sudanese people and looked forward to “engaging with and supporting the transitional governing institutions.”

The Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change nominated a well-known economist, Abdalla Hamdok, to be prime minister during the transition. He served as the deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa since November 2011, and has yet to be confirmed by the sovereign council. The council’s members are to be announced Sunday, after which the ruling military council will immediately be disbanded.

The power-sharing deal has been criticized by the Sudan Revolutionary Front, an alliance of the largest rebel groups in Darfur. The rebels have stressed to protest leaders that the agreement did not include “basic principles” to achieve peace in Sudan. The deal calls for the government to reach a peace agreement with the rebels within six months.

The rebel alliance, which is part of the FDFC opposition coalition, wanted to include a peace document agreed on by the protest movement in the power-sharing deal. The rebel leaders have engaged in talks with other protest leaders to settle the disputed points. </s> Sudan’s ruling military council and an opposition alliance this morning signed a political accord as part of a power-sharing deal aimed at leading the country to democracy following three decades of autocratic rule, Reuters reported.

The agreement, which ended days of speculation about whether a deal announced earlier this month would hold, was initialled in Khartoum in the presence of African mediators following a night of talks to iron out some details of the agreement.

The deal is meant to pave the way to a political transition after military leaders ousted former President Omar Al-Bashir in April following weeks of protests against his rule.

At least 128 people were killed during a crackdown that began when security forces dispersed a protest camp outside the Defence Ministry in central Khartoum in June, according to medics linked to the opposition. The Health Ministry had put the death toll at 61.

A political standoff between Sudan’s military rulers and protesters threatened to drag the country of 40 million towards further violence before African mediators managed to bridge the gap between the two sides.

General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council, hailed the agreement as the start of a new partnership between the armed forces, including the paramilitary forces he leads, and the opposition coalition of Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC).

Ibrahim Al-Amin, an FFC leader, said the accord signalled a new era of self-reliance for Sudan’s people.

“We want a stable homeland, because we have suffered a great deal,” Amin said in a speech after the ceremony.

The sides are still working on a constitutional declaration, which is expected to be signed on Friday.

Under the power-sharing deal reached earlier this month, the two sides agreed to share power in a sovereign council during a transitional period of just over three years.

They also agreed to form an independent government of technocrats to run the country and to launch a transparent, independent investigation into the violence.

READ: What next for Sudan?

The power-sharing agreement reached earlier this month called for a sovereign council comprised of 11 members – five officers selected by the military council, five civilians chosen by the FFC and another civilian to be agreed upon by both sides.

The constitutional declaration will now decide the duties and responsibilities of the sovereign council.

The military was to head the council during the first 21 months of the transitional period while a civilian would head the council during the remaining 18 months.

But the agreement was thrown into doubt when new disputes surfaced last week over the military council’s demand for immunity for council members against prosecution.

The military council also demanded that the sovereign council would retain ultimate decision-making powers rather than the government. </s> Sudan’s opposition coalition on Sunday named the five people it has chosen as civilian members of the country’s sovereign council to be sworn in on Monday, a source within the coalition told Reuters.

The Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) chose Aisha Mousa, Siddig Tower, Mohamed Elfaki Suleiman, Hassan Sheikh Idris and Taha Othman Ishaq, the source said.

On Saturday, Sky News Arabia reported that Sudan’s sovereign council will include Transitional Military Council (TMC) head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and Lieutenant General Yasser al-Atta, the TMC’s spokesperson said to .

Under a power-sharing agreement the sovereign council will include five members selected by the TMC, five picked by the main opposition coalition, and one agreed upon by both sides.

The military’s two remaining members will be named at a later time, Shams El Din Kabbashi said.

Earlier on Saturday, Sudan’s protest leaders formally signed a deal with the Transitional Military Council in Khartoum on Saturday, paving the way for a transition to a civilian-led government following the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April.

Tens of thousands took to the streets of Khartoum on Saturday to celebrate the final signing of the power-sharing deal.

The military members will select the head of the council for the first 21 months of the transition period, which lasts three years and three months, according to the agreement.

The FFC has nominated economist Abdalla Hamdok as prime minister. He is expected to be appointed on Tuesday and sworn in on Wednesday. </s> Sudan’s pro-democracy movement signed a final power-sharing agreement with the ruling military council on Saturday at a ceremony in the capital, Khartoum.

The deal paves the way for a transition to civilian-led government following the military overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April.

The signing capped weeks of tortuous negotiations between the military and protest leaders. Earlier this month, the two sides initialed a constitutional document in the wake of international pressure and amid growing concerns the political crisis could ignite civil war.

Ethiopia and the African Union co-led mediation efforts between the military and protesters, and many regional leaders and international envoys attended Saturday’s ceremony, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

The protest organizers planned celebrations in Khartoum and elsewhere across the country. Railway workers and other protesters had travelled to the capital Friday by train from Atbara, the northern transport hub where the uprising began in December.

The power-sharing deal creates a joint military and civilian sovereign council to rule for a little over three years until elections can be held. A military leader would head the 11-member council for the first 21 months, followed by a civilian leader for the next 18.

The agreement would also establish a Cabinet appointed by the activists, as well as a legislative body to be assembled within three months. The protest coalition is to have a majority in that body, as nominated by the Forces for Declaration of Freedom, a coalition of opposition parties and movements representing the protesters.

The FDFC has nominated a well-known economist, Abdalla Hamdok, to lead the government during the transition. He served as the the deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa since November 2011, and has yet to be confirmed by the sovereign council. The council’s members are to be announced on Sunday, after which the ruling military council will immediately be disbanded.

The deal has been criticized by the Sudan Revolutionary Front, an alliance of the largest rebel groups in Darfur. The rebels have stressed to protester leaders that the agreement did not include “basic principles” to achieve peace in Sudan. The deal calls for the government to reach a peace agreement with the rebels within six months.

The rebel alliance, which is part of the FDFC, wanted to include a peace document agreed with the protest movement into the power-sharing deal. The rebel leaders have engaged in talks with other protest leaders to settle the disputed points.

The military overthrew al-Bashir following months of protests against his three-decade-long authoritarian rule. The protesters then remained in the streets, demanding a rapid transition to civilian leadership.

The two sides came under renewed pressure to reach an accord after security forces opened fire on student protesters in the city of Obeid on Aug. 1, leaving six people dead. At least nine troops from the paramilitary Rapid Support forces were arrested over the killings.

In June, security forces violently dispersed the protesters’ main sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum, killing dozens of people and plunging the fragile transition into crisis. The deal includes the establishment of an independent investigation into the crackdown. </s> Image copyright AFP Image caption Celebrations began overnight and carried on into Saturday morning

Sudan's ruling military council and main opposition coalition have agreed on a constitutional declaration which will pave the way for a new period of transitional government.

African Union mediator Mohamed Hassan Lebatt made the announcement early on Saturday, without giving any details.

Sudan has been in turmoil since the military ousted President Omar al-Bashir in April.

Protracted talks over the declaration have been held amid much violence.

The long-awaited declaration deal triggered celebrations in Sudan, which has been plunged into months of crisis.

Both sides signed a power-sharing accord in July, but demonstrators have been waiting since then for more details about the agreement.

Protests first broke out in December after Mr Bashir's government imposed emergency austerity measures. He was then overthrown by the military in April after prolonged protests outside the defence ministry in Khartoum.

Image copyright EPA Image caption There have been protests on the streets of Sudan for months

Demonstrators have since called for authority to be transferred to a civilian administration.

What does the declaration say?

The document outlines the terms of a three-year transitional period agreed last month by the military council and opposition leaders.

The power-sharing deal envisages a governing body of six civilians and five generals.

"I am announcing to the Sudanese, African and international public opinion that the two delegations have fully agreed on the constitutional declaration," Mr Lebatt told reporters on Saturday.

He said further meetings would be held to work out the technical details of the signing ceremony, but did not provide any information about the agreement itself.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Sudan crisis: Schoolchildren fired on during protests

A draft of the declaration seen by Reuters news agency said the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been accused of killing protesters, will now fall under the general command of the armed forces, and the intelligence service will be co-supervised by the sovereign council and the cabinet.

The deal on the declaration came after the military council announced that nine RSF soldiers had been dismissed and detained in connection with the killing of protesters, including four schoolchildren, this week.

The deaths had prompted mass demonstrations across the country and caused delays in the talks.

What do we know about the transition period?

The military and protesters have reached several agreements, with each side fleshing out new details as they try to overcome suspicion and build a working relationship.

They have so far agreed on the following:

Power-sharing will last for 39 months

A sovereign council, cabinet and legislative body will be formed

A general will head the council for the first 21 months, a civilian for the remaining 18

A prime minister, nominated by the pro-democracy movement, will head the cabinet

The ministers of defence and interior will be chosen by the military.

The long transition period is seen as a victory for the pro-democracy movement - the generals had threatened a snap election after the 3 June crackdown.

Demonstrators argue that Mr Bashir's regime is so deeply entrenched that it will take time to dismantle its political network and open the way for free and fair elections. </s> Sudan military council and opposition agree new deal for transitional government

Sudan military council and opposition agree new deal for transitional government

The agreement comes after months of protests. File pic

Sudan's military council and the main opposition coalition have reached an agreement for a new period of transitional government.

It comes after the country's leader Omar al-Bashir was ousted by the army in April, sparking months of political turmoil and protests in the African nation.

African Union mediator for Sudan. Mohamed Hassan Lebatt. said representatives from the military and the civilian pro-democracy groups will continue talks during the weekend.

Among the details still to be finalised are the members of the transitional government and a timeline for the installation of the government.

It had already been agreed the group will be comprised of 11 members - five officers selected by the military council, five civilians chosen by the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition and another civilian to be agreed upon by both sides. Its first leader will be from the military.

Once the government is installed, the country will begin a three-year path to elections.

News of the deal, which was brokered after weeks of talks run by the African Union and neighbouring Ethiopia, was greeted with joy on the streets of the capital Khartoum.

People sounded their car horns and sang the national anthem, with some chanting: "We're victorious".

Mr al Bashir faces charges of corruption and possession of foreign currency.

Since he was overthrown, there has been a transitional military council in power.

Talks aimed at moving to civilian rule had been deadlocked for weeks, with the generals wanting overall control during the interim period but demonstrators wanting limited military representation.

A preliminary deal was signed last month, but at least four student protesters were killed earlier this week, delaying talks.
The ruling military and the civilian opposition formally sign a power-sharing deal establishing a three-year transition period towards the election of a civilian government.