Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
broken clouds
weather
OMAN
23°C / 23°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Sudan protesters, army rulers sign power sharing agreement

1271093
1271093
minus
plus

Khartoum: Sudan’s protesters and ruling generals on Wednesday inked a deal that aims to install a civilian administration, a key demand of demonstrators since president Omar al Bashir was deposed in a coup three months ago.


The move loosens a deadlock that has gripped the country, following nationwide mass protests that began against Bashir in December but then continued after a military council ousted him on April 11.


The deputy chief of the military council General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo — who initialled the deal on behalf of the generals on Wednesday — said the agreement was a “historic moment” for Sudan.


Dagalo also heads the RSF, a feared paramilitary organisation that has its origins in the Janjaweed militias unleashed against African rebels during the early 2000’s in Darfur.


Ibrahim al Amin, a key protest leader, confirmed “today, we completed the political declaration.” Intense talks took place through the night over details of the political declaration at a luxury hotel on the bank of the Nile river in the capital.


As the generals stepped out of the hall after the inking of the deal, a small crowd — including women waving the national flag — chanted “civilian rule, civilian rule.” The landmark power sharing deal, which was agreed in principle on July 5, has been brokered by African Union and Ethiopian mediators after weeks of stop-start negotiations between the protest umbrella group and ruling generals.


Immunity for generals?


The accord stipulates that a new transitional civilian-military ruling body be established, in a bid to end the country’s months-long political crisis.


This governing body will be comprised of six civilians and five military representatives.


The civilian representation will include five from the Alliance for Freedom and Change, according to the declaration. A general will head the ruling body during the first 21 months of a transition, followed by a civilian for the remaining 18 months, according to the framework agreement. The governing council is to oversee the formation of a transitional civilian administration that will operate for just over three years, after which elections would be held.


Amin said on Wednesday that wider power sharing details would be fleshed out in a “constitutional document” and that talks would “resume... on Friday”.


These talks are expected to address whether to grant “absolute immunity” to generals for violence against protesters. Prior to entering the latest talks on Tuesday evening, protest leaders had rejected any such offer of immunity to the generals.


“We totally reject it,” protest leader Ahmed al Rabie, who initialled Wednesday’s accord along with Dagalo, said on Tuesday.


But military council spokesman General Shamseddine Kabbashi sought to talk down any friction over proposed immunity. “There is no dispute about immunity,” he said on Wednesday.


Other issues still to be ironed out include the creation of a transitional parliament and a potential RSF withdrawal from Khartoum — the latter an increasingly vocal demand of citizens on the streets.


Tensions climaxed on June 3 when armed men in military fatigues stormed a long-standing protest camp in Khartoum, shooting and beating crowds of demonstrators in a pre-dawn raid.


Dozens were killed and hundreds wounded, triggering international outrage — and allegations that the RSF was behind the killings — although the generals insisted they did not order the violent dispersal of protesters.


Talks to progress the details of the overall power sharing deal had been postponed several times since July 5 at the request of protest leaders. 


— AFP


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon