Sudan: Military and opposition agree power-sharing deal
Sudan’s ruling military council and opposition leaders have agreed terms on a power-sharing deal, according to mediators.
The deal means the two parties will share power, rotating control of the sovereign council, until elections can be held. News of the agreement sparked celebrations across the streets of Khartoum where protesters have demonstrated for civilian rule since Omar al-Bashir was ousted by the military in April.
Military council, opposition agree power-sharing deal
“The two sides agreed on establishing a sovereign council with a rotating military and civilian [presidency] for a period of three years or a little more,” AU mediator Mohamed Hassan Lebatt told reporters on Friday.
The agreement means the military council will remain in charge for the first 18 months of the agreement before a civilian-run administration takes over for the remaining 18 months – after which elections are due to be held.
Both sides also agreed to hold independent investigations into recent violence that has killed hundreds since protests first began in December 2018. The violence escalated in recent weeks after talks over a power-sharing deal between the military and opposition groups broke down.
Some critics are already suggesting many protesters in Sudan might find the terms of the deal difficult to accept – especially the heavy involvement of the military in the transition government, which will effectively lead the country during the first 18 months of the transitional period. Others have pointed out that an ongoing internet blackout in Sudan means many people are yet to realise the details of the power-sharing deal.
Featured image: By M.Saleh – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77879589
