Military council to dissolve in Sudan

KHARTOUM, Sudan — Sudan’s top general said the military council that assumed power after the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April will be dissolved with the implementation of a power-sharing deal reached with protesters.

The military and a pro-democracy coalition agreed last week on a joint sovereign council that will rule for a little over three years while elections are organized. Both sides say a diplomatic push by the U.S. and its Arab allies was key to ending a weekslong standoff that raised fears of all-out civil war.

Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the military council, said in televised comments late Sunday that the army would return to its barracks after 21 months, when leadership of the council passes from a military representative to a civilian.

The council will include five civilians representing the protest movement and five military members. An 11th seat will go to a civilian chosen by both sides. The protesters will select a Cabinet of technocrats, and a legislative council is to be formed after three months.

Burhan said the sovereign council would have a veto on Cabinet appointees and the body’s decisions. He said the transitional period would be dedicated to advancing peace efforts with rebel groups and overhauling the economy.

Burhan also insisted that the military council did not order the violent dispersal of the main protest camp last month, which killed scores of people and led to the collapse of talks.

“We trust that military council members had nothing to do with what happened in the sit-in dispersal,” he said.