Our revolution has been won: the Sudanese opposition rents an agreement with the army | Sudan News



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Sudanof Generals in power and a coalition of protest and opposition groups reached an agreement on power sharing during a transitional period until the elections. The deal could break weeks of political stalemate since the overthrow of autocratic president Omar al-Bashir in April.

The two sides agreed to create a joint civil-military joint council that will rotate the country "for a period of three years or more," Mohamed Hbadan Lebatt, African Union. (AU) mediator, said at a press conference Friday.

According to the contract, five seats would be allocated to the army and five to civilians, with one additional seat allocated to a civilian agreed by both parties

the Transitional Military Council (TMC) in power and civilian leaders also agreed to launch a "transparent and independent inquiry" into the violence that began on 3 June dozens of pro-democracy protesters were killed in a brutal military crackdown on a protest camp in the capital, Khartoum.

The deputy head of the TMC, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti, is pleased with Friday's agreement, which he said would be inclusive.

"We would like to rebadure all the political forces, the armed movements and all those who have participated in the change of young men and women … that this agreement will be global and will not exclude anyone", added Dagalo, who also heads the Fearless Rapid Paramilitary Unit The support forces (RSF) accused by the demonstrators of crushing the sit-in in front of the army headquarters.

& # 39; A first step & # 39;

Omar Eldigair, leader of Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), an alliance that groups opposition groups, said The agreement "opens the way for the formation of the institutions of the transitional authority and we hope that this is the beginning of a new era".

In a statement Friday morning, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), part of the FFC, said the transition period would last three years and three months.

"Today, our revolution has won and our victory is shining," the SPA said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.

Sudan

Mohamed al-Hacen Lebatt (left), sent from the AU to Sudan, seated next to General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo while he shakes hands with an army general following a press conference in Khartoum [Ebrahim Hamid/ AFP]

The army will lead the Sovereign Council for the first 21 months and a civilian will take over for the remaining 18 months, he added. The FFC will appoint a Cabinet of Ministers, said the SPA, adding that a legislative council would be formed after the appointment of the Sovereign Council and cabinet.

Both parties also agreed to set up a committee of lawyers, including AU lawyers, to finalize the agreement within 48 hours.

Khaled Omar, a leader of the protest, told reporters in Khartoum later on Friday that this deal was only a "first step".

"The transfer of power to a civilian transitional authority … means that the revolution has set foot [on track] to achieve its main objectives, "said Mr. Omar, adding that the FFC did not seek revenge but wanted" to achieve a comprehensive national reconciliation ".

Sudanese protesters demand accountability for killing civilians (2:16)

Mbad demonstrations

The agreement was reached after two days of talks following the failure of the previous round of negotiations as a result of the crackdown on the protest camp. Opposition doctors say more than 100 people were killed during the dispersal and violence that followed June 3. Authorities estimated at 62 the number of dead.

The TMC and the opposition coalition have been arguing for weeks over what shape the Sudanese transitional government should take after the dismissal of al-Bashir army on April 11, after months of mbadive protests against its government. reign of 30 years.

The protesters had remained in the streets after the ouster of al-Bashir, fearing that the generals would intend to cling to power or preserve some form of authoritarian power.

The AU and neighboring Ethiopia have stepped up their mediation efforts to end the crisis andNegotiations resumed earlier this week, following mbad demonstrations last weekend, in which tens of thousands of protesters stormed the streets of Sudan's main cities, the biggest sight ever since. the repression of June 3rd.

Sudanese chant slogans and wave national flags during their celebrations in Khartoum

Sudanese chant slogans and wave national flags during their celebrations in Khartoum [Ashraf Shazly/AFP]

& # 39; More Guarantees & # 39;

In Khartoum, thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate this breakthrough. But many have called for continued protests and pressure on the army for it to apply its side of the deal.

"We would like to see many more guarantees from TMC, because they made a lot of promises regarding the transfer of power, and then backtracked," said Mohamed Ismail, a 34-year-old engineer who was part of from the crowd in Khartoum. -Sahafa region.

Ashraf Mohamed Ali, another protester, called the agreement "a good gesture for Sudan".

"It is important to see the implementation of the agreement in the field because the actions of the TMC over the past month prove that this board is not serious about to abandon the power to civilians, "he told Al Jazeera by phone.

"And so having an agreement is in itself a good thing, I'm happy but we want the agreement to be implemented."

Welcoming the two parties' decision to open an investigation into the killings on 3 June, Ali said: "An agreement that does not provide for a proper investigation will not be satisfactory for the majority of civilians."

The protesters were not happy about the possibility that Hemeti "would be part of a new government," Ali said, citing RSF's role in dispersing the Khartoum protest camp.

"But that's the reality," he said. "RSF controls everything in Sudan, so if you want to reach an agreement or if you want to have a civilian government, you need to know how to manage it, so as to serve your agenda and without dragging the country into war."

The United Arab Emirates, which supports the TMC, congratulated both parties for the power-sharing agreement.

"We hope that the next phase will see the founding of a constitutional system that will strengthen the role of institutions with broad national and popular support," said United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash , in an article posted on Twitter.

Abu Dhabi will be alongside Khartoum in "the good and the bad times," he added.

The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, also welcomed the covenant and urged all parties to "ensure prompt, inclusive and transparent implementation of the agreement and resolve any outstanding issues by the dialogue ".

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres, said in a statement that the secretary-general also welcomed "the commitment made by the parties to conduct an independent investigation into the violence perpetrated against peaceful protesters, including the events of June 3 ".

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