Sudan’s military council and an alliance of opposition groups have signed an initial political accord as part of a power-sharing deal that would lead to a civilian administration of the country.
Mohamed Labat, the African Union (AU) mediator, told newsmen at the Corinthia Hotel in Khartoum, on Wednesday, where the negotiations had been held.
Labat said the TMC and main opposition grouping Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) have agreed to take turns at the helm of a sovereign council for a period of three years.
Labat said the agreement was a crucial point in Sudan’s peace process.
“The political agreement between the two parties paves the way for a new era for the people of Sudan,” Labat added.
The signing comes several days after the TMC and FFC said they had broadly reached agreement on a road map to elections.
The agreement also involves sharing power and investigating recent violence against protesters in the country, which has led to dozens of deaths.
TMC deputy chairman Mohamed Hamdan Daglo described Wednesday’s deal as the result of a long and hard effort.
“We think that the signing today represents a step towards achieving the revolution’s goals,” said FFC representative Ibrahim Al Amin at the press conference.
Wednesday’s agreement includes stipulations about the composition of Sudan’s future government, the three year transitional period, planned economic reforms and humanitarian relief efforts, the parties said.
However, the parties still need to sign a constitutional document to clearly define the role and powers of the new transitional authority.
Anti-government demonstrations began in Sudan late 2018 with protesters calling for long time leader Omar al Bashir to go.
The military stepped in in April, launching a coup and arresting him.
But protesters have argued that the new military rulers are a continuation of al Bashir’s former regime and have sought more concessions and a transition to civilian government.
On June 3, the security forces launched a crackdown to clear the protesters’ sit in, which opposition groups say killed more than 100 people.
The UN Security Council strongly condemned the violence.
dpa/NAN
