The Sudanese movement for democracy and the ruling military council have finalized a power-sharing agreement, African Union Special Envoy to Sudan Mohammed el-Hassan Lebatt said yesterday.
The representative told reporters that the two sides “fully agreed” on a constitutional declaration outlining the division of power for a three-year transition to elections.
He did not provide further details, but said that both sides were to meet later yesterday to prepare for a signing ceremony.
Photo: AFP
The pro-democracy coalition in a statement said that it would sign the document today.
The military in April overthrew former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir following months of mass protests against his three-decade-long authoritarian rule.
Protesters remained in the streets, demanding a rapid transition to a civilian government. They have been locked in tense negotiations with the military for weeks while holding mass protests.
The two sides last month reached a preliminary agreement following pressure from the US and its Arab allies, amid growing concerns that the political crisis could ignite civil war.
That document provided for the establishment of a civilian-military sovereign council that would rule Sudan for a little more than three years while elections are organized.
A military leader would head the 11-member council for the first 21 months, followed by a civilian leader for the next 18. There would also be a Cabinet of technocrats chosen by the protesters, as well as a legislative council, the makeup of which would be decided within three months.
Ebtisam Senhouri, a negotiator for the protesters, told a news conference that the movement would choose 67 percent of the legislative body, with the remainder chosen by political parties that were not part of al-Bashir’s government.
The military would select the defense and interior ministers during the transition, he added.
The two sides had been divided over whether military leaders would be immune from prosecution over violence against protesters. It was not immediately clear whether they had resolved that dispute.
The two sides came under renewed pressure this week after security forces opened fire on student protesters in Obeid, killing six people. 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.
Protest leader Omar al-Dagir said that the agreement would pave the way for appointments to the transitional bodies.
“The government will prioritize peace [with rebel groups], and an independent and fair investigation to reveal those who killed the martyrs and hold them accountable,” he said.
Sudan has been convulsed by rebellions in its far-flung provinces for decades.
Al-Bashir, who was jailed after being removed from power, is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide stemming from the Darfur conflict in the early 2000s.
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