City
Epaper

Sudan military, opposition agree to share power

By IANS | Updated: July 5, 2019 16:20 IST

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

Open in App

The development ends weeks of deadlock as the main opposition, led by the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), and the military agreed to rotate control of the sovereign council - the top tier of power - for at least three years and three months.

According to the African Union (AU), the two sides also pledged to form an independent technocratic government and to investigate the violence of recent weeks, the BBC reported.

The military would lead for the first 21 months, while the opposition will take over for the remaining 18.

Establishing a sovereign council had been one of the main issues that left both parties stuck in a negotiation stalemate in the past weeks.

The FFC said that both sides also agreed to form an independent national commission to investigate the events occurred in Sudan since the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir on April 11.

After the end of Al-Bashir's rule, protesters continued their sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum, saying the new military rulers were a continuation of the former President's regime.

On June 3, the military carried out a violent dispersal on the weeks-long sit-in, leaving, according to the opposition, over 100 people dead.

Government officials put the death toll at 61 nationwide, Efe news reported.

The talks between both parties collapsed after the deadly military crackdown.

The FFC has been since December leading the protests that left Al-Bashir's toppled down after holding power for some 30 years.

Al-Bashir, who took power after he led a coup in the oil-rich country in 1989, was deposed and arrested in a military coup in April that came after months of anti-government demonstrations.

A hike in the price of basic commodities sparked rallies in December 2018, which gathered momentum and spread across the country as thousands took to the streets in a rare display of defiance, calling for the resignation of Al-Bashir.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: Omar Al BashirFFCAfrican UnionbbcEFE
Open in App

Related Stories

NationalAfrican Union joins G20 as all member countries accept PM Modi's proposal

InternationalTom Cruise 'working diligently' on his planned space movie

CricketCLOSE-IN: West Indies cricket - How the cookie crumbles (IANS column)

InternationalUK parliamentary panel report warns of national security threats from China; calls govt’s approach “inadequate”

InternationalCops to probe ex-BBC British Sikh presenter for harassing over 20 women

International Realted Stories

InternationalPakistan: Toll rises to 36 as three more dengue-related deaths reported in Sindh

InternationalPakistan: Petrol price remains unchanged at PKR 265.45 per litre; diesel up by 6

InternationalPutin, Netanyahu phone call over Gaza, ahead of UNSC vote on US resolution as Russia offers counter proposal

InternationalMAGA feud erupts as long-term ally Greene expresses frustration towards Trump, claims death threats fuelled by his rhetoric

InternationalUS confirms successful stockpile flight tests of B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb