Sudanese crisis: the military and the opposition agree on a share of power

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The mediators reached an agreement with the opposition alliance to share power until elections were held.

The two sides agreed to take turns controlling the Sovereign Council – the highest power – for a little over three years.

They also pledged to form an independent technocratic government and investigate the violence in recent weeks, the African Union (AU) said.

The news of the deal would have sparked frenzied street parties.

Sudan has been in turmoil since the army overthrew President Omar al-Bashir in April.

This followed a popular uprising against Bashir, who took power by a coup in June 1989.

Just days before the announcement of the transitional agreement, large crowds took to the streets to ask the ruling military council to give power to a civilian-led administration.

Seven people were killed and 181 wounded in subsequent clashes, state media reported.

The latest round of talks took place in the capital, Khartoum, earlier this week, with the mediation of the Ethiopian Prime Minister and pan-African AU members.

What was agreed?

"Both parties agreed to create a sovereign council with a military and civilian rotation [presidency] for three years or a little more, "Mohamed Hbadan Lebatt, AU mediator, told reporters on Friday.

The agreement provides that the military will be in charge for the first 21 months and then a civil-led administration for the next 18 months.

It's "the first step in building a democratic country," said veteran politician Siddig Yousif, one of the leading civilian negotiators.

Asked that civil leaders can convince protesters to worry about the presence of the army in the government, Yousif told the BBC: "It is a difficult task, but we will try to convince our people that it will be a success. "

Elections will be held at the end of this transition period.

The two sides also "agreed to conduct a detailed, transparent, national and independent investigation into all regrettable violent incidents that the country has faced in recent weeks," he added.

They also agreed to postpone the establishment of a legislative council.

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"We hope we enter a new era," said Omar al-Degair, leader of the opposition Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), after the announcement.

General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Deputy Chief of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), said: "This agreement will be comprehensive and will not exclude anyone.

"We thank African and Ethiopian mediators for their efforts and patience."

What was the reaction?

The protesters "certainly wanted a lot more" of the agreement and many are a little "skeptical" about the details, said Lena al-Sheikh who was in the streets of Khartoum at the height of the protests.

"We said," Congratulations, is that true? "" She told the BBC's Newsday program.

"Because until June 30, the military council showed that (…) there was brutality against the protesters, people died, people were injured and we thought that it did not happen. will never happen, maybe we will never reach an agreement. "

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The BBC regional badyst, Mohanad Hashim, said that the agreement did not meet the requirements of a totally civil administration.

A difficult point for some people is that the military will first choose the head of the sovereign council.

"The first 18 months seem to be the military will to consolidate power, stay in power and wait [their] Kholood Khair, Sudanese political commentator.

"What of [former President] Bashir? What about Salih Ghosh, the former head of the national intelligence service? There are many gaps in this document, "Khair told BBC Focus on Africa.

As Sudanese journalist Yousra Elbagir reports, an Internet power outage in the country means that many people may not yet know the details of the deal:

What is the background?

Last month, representatives of the protesters were in talks with the military about who would take control.

But negotiations collapsed when the June 3 military crackdown killed dozens of protesters. The doctors said that 40 bodies had been removed from the Nile.

The army said that elections would be held within nine months. But the protest movement insisted on a transition period of at least three years.

After the breakup, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed went to Sudan to try to negotiate a new agreement.

After days of talks, his special envoy Mahmoud Dirir announced that the leaders of the protest had agreed to suspend the strikes on a large scale and return to the negotiating table.

"Cautious optimism"

Celebrations and skepticism hailed the new agreement. Will it hold? The fears of the unknown are not surprising.

In recent weeks, the military has appeared less willing to share power. But with the international pressure and the mediation of the African Union, they accepted it.

The inclusion of a vague member of the Council of Sovereigns in the 11th Council, which, according to the AU mediators, "might or might not be a retired army officer" but was described as civil, could have convinced each party of a victory.

But the position has the potential to make or break the deal. The ambition displayed by General Mohamed Hamdan "Hemeti" Dagolo is also worrying. The number two of the military council is at the head of the dreaded Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group accused of brutality.

Hemeti fell into the spotlight as a fierce commander of the government-backed Janjaweed militia in Darfur.

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Recently, he has openly contacted tribal elders and foreign leaders and created a Canadian company to give a more accurate picture of the military.

Many would be uncomfortable if Hemeti played a leading role in the new arrangement, which is likely.

Regional interests, particularly in the Gulf, were at stake before, during, and after the coup d'etat.

Whether the changes are the result of activism and sacrifices made by ordinary Sudanese or that they are led by a hidden foreign hand, the road will be difficult.