Sudan military, protesters sign power-sharing deal
CAIRO — Sudan's prodemocracy movement and ruling military council signed a 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 protesters are 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.
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..
Sudanese celebrated across the country Saturday. Video posted online showed people celebrating in the streets in Darfur and the eastern province of Kassala.
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 in 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.
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. Secretarygeneral 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 economist Abdalla Hamdok to be prime minister during the transition.