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> 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 ruling military council and pro-democracy civilian opposition alliance signed a landmark power-sharing deal on Saturday, reported The Guardian. According to the deal, there will be a new governing council of six civilians and five generals till the time elections are held in the country.

Several regional leaders, including the prime ministers of Ethiopia and Egypt and the South Sudanese president, attended the signing ceremony in Khartoum. The two sides have agreed to rotate control of the council for just over three years. A prime minister nominated by civilians will be appointed next week.

Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo, who is the deputy head of the military council and is considered Sudan’s most powerful man, pledged to abide by the terms of the deal. “We will stick to every single letter we have agreed on,” he told BBC. “Even without the agreement we [would] have to work in this direction because it’s in the country’s interest. Therefore we have to carry out the agreement, stick to it and support it.”

Sudan has been facing unrest since December 2018 when President Omar al-Bashir imposed emergency austerity measures. It sparked demonstrations, and soon there were demands to remove al-Bashir. He was overthrown in April by the military. But the demonstrators then demanded that authority be transferred to a civilian administration. </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> Sudan's ruling military council and leaders of its civilian opposition movement announced a preliminary power-sharing deal Friday, marking an end to a months-long stalemate and raising hopes that deadly unrest since former President Omar al-Bashir's ouster could culminate in democratic rule.

"Today our revolution is triumphant," the Sudanese Professionals Association, which led the protests that took down Bashir in April, said in a statement posted to social media. "We will continue to accomplish the goals of the revolution."

The deal calls for a joint sovereign council that will lead Sudan during a transition period of three years and three months, according to the SPA.

The 11-member council will consist of five soldiers and five civilians, with a sixth civilian chosen by both sides. It will have a rotational presidency: A military leader will preside over the council for 21 months, followed by a civilian leader for 18 months. Elections would then be held.

"This agreement will be comprehensive and will not exclude anyone," said Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy head of the Transitional Military Council, Reuters reports.

The African Union and Ethiopia helped broker the deal during two days of talks in Khartoum. Negotiators are set to come together this weekend to hammer out a final version.

"The devil will be in the detail of any deal – but we hope this marks a step towards an end of the horrific crimes that have been committed against the people of Sudan for decades," Kumi Naidoo, secretary general of Amnesty International, said in a statement. "This agreement must be judged by how those in power now live up to their responsibilities to respect people's fundamental rights — something the Sudanese people have been deprived of for well over three decades.

As word of the deal spread Friday, hundreds of Sudanese took to the streets in celebration, beating drums, singing and waving the national flag.

But while both sides hailed the agreement, many people remained skeptical. "Of course there is a lack of trust between the people of Sudan, of the opposition, when it comes to the military," Halima Gikandi reports for NPR.

The Transitional Military Council took control of the country soon after Bashir was deposed, announcing it would rule for two years before democratic elections could take place. Protesters and opposition leaders balked and demanded an immediate transfer of power to a transitional civilian government.

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters camped outside military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, as opposition leaders engaged in negotiations with the military. But talks collapsed early last month after Sudanese security forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing dozens of people.

Protesters maintained their call for civilian rule by launching a civil disobedience campaign that brought Khartoum to a standstill and by continuing to hold mass demonstrations, even as they were met by violence.

In all, protesters say the military crackdown left more than 100 people dead.

The SPA says the military has agreed to a national independent investigation into the protester deaths. Despite distrust of the military, opposition leaders see the power-sharing deal as the only viable pathway to a functional government that can address the concerns of the people, Gikandi reports.

"Our people are wounded, our wounds will heal," the Sudanese Professionals Association said in Friday's statement. </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> CAIRO -- Sudan's ruling military and the pro-democracy movement on Wednesday signed a political document that's part of a power-sharing deal meant to end the country's deadlock after weeks of stalled talks.

The two sides -- representatives from the military council and the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change -- signed a so-called political declaration, one of two documents that are part of the deal, at a ceremony in Khartoum.

The other document, a constitutional declaration, is likely to be signed within days, perhaps as early as Friday.

The signing is a key step in Sudan's transition after months of street protests that prompted the military to oust autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir and take over the country in April. But the protesters, though initially cheering al-Bashir's ouster, remained on the streets for several weeks, demanding the military hand over power to a civilian authority.

The military and the pro-democracy movement, which represents the protesters, had agreed earlier this month on a joint sovereign council that will rule Sudan for a little over three years while elections are organized.

The power-sharing deal, which also includes a Cabinet appointed by the pro-democracy movement, was meant to end weeks of deadlock between the two sides since a Khartoum protest sit-in was razed by security forces last month.

Protest organizers say security forces killed at least 128 people during that dispersal and subsequent crackdown. Authorities, however, put the death toll at 61, including three members of the security forces.

And on June 30, tens of thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Khartoum in the biggest show of numbers in the uprising. At least 11 people were killed in clashes with security forces, according to protest organizers.

The two sides subsequently resumed talks and also agreed on an independent Sudanese investigation into the deadly crackdown, though it is unclear if anyone will be held accountable.

"We are ushering in a new era," Ibrahim al-Amin, a negotiator for the protesters said at Wednesday's signing ceremony. "The upcoming government will be a government of all Sudanese, for all citizens ... we have suffered enough from the totalitarian dictatorial regime."

Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy head of the military council, hailed the signing as a "historic moment in Sudan" as representatives of both sides shook hands.

Wednesday's development came after intensive efforts and pressure form regional and international powers. The African Union and Ethiopia led the diplomatic mediation, following the deadly break-up of the Khartoum protest camp in June.

Ethiopian mediator, Mohamoud Dirir, called it a "great moment for the people of Sudan" and lauded the "united front that represents the gallant army of the Sudan, the transitional military council, and of course the revolutionary youth, the intellectuals who have taken to the streets to stand for democracy."

AU envoy Mohammed el-Hassan Labat said the signing was "a decisive moment." Both Labat and Dirir, who attended the Khartoum ceremony, also shook hands and embraced.

The deposed strongman al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan for 30 years, has been under arrest in Khartoum since his ouster. He appeared in public in June for the first time since the military toppled him on April 11, as he was led to a prosecutor's office in a corruption investigation.

In May, al-Bashir was charged with involvement in killing protesters and incitement to kill protesters during the popular uprising that started in December, initially over price increases of basic goods and a failing economy, but which later turned into calls for his ouster.

He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court over charges of war crimes and genocide linked to the Darfur conflict in the 2000s, but the Sudanese military has said it would not extradite him to The Hague. He was the only sitting head of state for whom an international arrest warrant had been issued. </s> Sudan’s ruling military council and opposition leaders have signed a power-sharing accord after all-night talks.

It is a “historic moment” for the country, the deputy head of Sudan’s ruling military council, Mohamed Mohamed Hamdan “Hemeti” Dagolo, is quoted as saying by AFP news agency.

The military seized power in April after deposing Omar al-Bashir.In clashes with the military which have turned deadly, protesters demanded the military hand power to civilians.

The signing of the document appears to confirm an agreement made in principle earlier this month.

That agreement laid out a plan rotate control of the sovereign council – the top tier of power – for just over three years.It said the military would be in charge for the first 21 months, then a civilian-run administration would take over the following 18 months, followed by elections.A second agreement on constitutional issues is expected to be finalised on Friday. </s> Sudan's ruling military council and an alliance of opposition groups on Wednesday signed the first of two documents as part of a power-sharing deal that activists hope will pave the way for democracy in the east African country.

The two sides inked the "Political Declaration" in Khartoum in front of African Union and Ethiopian mediators following overnight talks to iron out the final elements of the agreement. Sudan's deputy chief of the ruling military council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, described it as a "historic moment."

Ibrahim al-Amin, a leader of the opposition Forces of Freedom and Change coalition, said: "Today, we completed the political declaration. For the constitutional document we will resume talks on Friday."

"We want a stable homeland, because we have suffered a great deal," the protest leader added. "We are ushering in a new era. The upcoming government will be a government of all Sudanese, for all citizens.

 We have suffered enough from the totalitarian dictatorial regime."

The military and the pro-democracy movement agreed on July 5 to a joint sovereign council that would rule Sudan until elections are organized in 2022.

A general is set to head the ruling body for the next 21 months, followed by a civilian for the remaining 18 months. The interim government will be comprised of six civilians and five military representatives.

Sudan has been in a state of flux since former President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April in a military coup brought about after large-scale protests against his regime.

Earlier this month, dozens were killed during opposition rallies against the military council. The protests — dubbed Justice First — were a direct response to the military council using brutal force against civilian protesters in June.

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Representatives of Sudan's military and the civil opposition sign the first of two parts of a power-sharing deal which is supposed to last until free elections in 2022.