Sudan Crisis: Military and Opposition Agree Power-sharing Deal

By BBC

Sudan's military leaders have reached an agreement with the opposition alliance to share power until elections can be held, mediators say.

The two sides agreed to rotate control of the sovereign council - the top tier of power - for at least three years. They have also pledged to form an independent technocratic government and to investigate the violence of recent weeks, the African Union (AU) said. News of the agreement reportedly sparked frenzied street celebrations.

Sudan has been in turmoil since the military ousted President Omar al-Bashir in April. That followed a popular uprising against Mr Bashir, who seized power in a coup in June 1989. Just days before the three-year transitional deal was announced, vast crowds took to the streets to demand that the ruling military council hand power to a civilian-led administration.

Seven people were killed and 181 were hurt in clashes that followed, state media reported. The latest round of talks took place in the capital, Khartoum, earlier this week and were heavily mediated by the Ethiopian prime minister and members of the pan-African AU.

What has been agreed?

"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 early on Friday.

The agreement will see the military in charge for the first 18 months, then a civilian-run administration for the remaining 18 months. It's "the first step in building a democratic country," said veteran politician Siddig Yousif, who was one of the main civilian negotiators.