Precious steps forward

Sudan has taken a hopeful step forward. The military is negotiating with protest leaders about the structure of a new civilian government to replace Omar Hassan al-Bashir. No doubt there will be setbacks, such as the shooting incident last week in which four people were killed and dozens wounded. But the announcement of a basic agreement on a three-year transition should be welcomed after so many years of despair and misrule.

With good reason, protest leaders have demanded that a new civilian government with democratic principles take over. The gritty determination of the demonstrators has forced the military into talks that seem to be bearing fruit, including the promising agreement on a three-year transition.

The hopes for freedom kindled in the Arab Spring of 2011 remain largely unfulfilled. In places, such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, tyranny is worse than ever. Sudan’s protest movement has been inchoate and forged by necessity, and it embarks on a new era with precious little experience in governing after 30 years of the Bashir dictatorship. But if Sudan can break with that legacy, it will prove immensely valuable for its people and the Arab world around it.