Sudan’s ruling military council and protest and opposition coalition finally agreed on a constitutional declaration on Friday, reported BBC.
The constitutional declaration outlines the terms of a three-year transitional period agreed last month by the military council and opposition leaders as well as the powers and the relationships between the branches of the transitional government.
African Union mediator Mohamed Hassan Lebatt made the announcement early on Saturday. He said representatives from both sides will continue to hold talks over the technical details of the deal on Saturday. No immediate details of the agreement were available.
“I am announcing to the Sudanese, African and international public opinion that the two delegations have fully agreed on the constitutional declaration,” Lebatt told a news conference in the early hours of Saturday.
Sudan has been facing protests since the military ousted President Omar al-Bashir in April. The negotiation talks between the military and protest leaders over the constitutional declaration have been held amid much violence, with dozens of demonstrators killed during street protests.
The legal and technical teams still need to establish a timeline for the declaration to come into effect and for the transitional government to be appointed. The joint military-civilian body will rule Sudan for three years until the elections are conducted.
The military and opposition had previously agreed to form a sovereign council composed of 11 members, five from the military and five from the opposition, and one additional civilian agreed to by both sides.
As soon as news of the agreement emerged, people gathered on Nile Street, a main avenue in the capital Khartoum, in celebration.
“We’re victorious!” some people chanted while others sang the national anthem.
The declaration deal came after the military council announced it arrested nine RSF soldiers in connection with the killing of protesters, including four schoolchildren, this week. The deaths had prompted mass demonstrations across the country and caused delays in the talks.
