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Friday, July 05, 2019, 16:00
Envoy says Sudan rivals reach power-sharing agreement
By Associated Press
Friday, July 05, 2019, 16:00 By Associated Press

In this June 30, 2019, file photo, Sudanese protesters shout slogans as they march during a demonstration against the military council, in Khartoum, Sudan. (HUSSEIN MALLA / AP)

KHARTOUM — Sudan's ruling military council and the country's pro-democracy movement have reached a power-sharing agreement, including a timetable for a transition to civilian rule, an African Union envoy said early Friday.

Mohammed el-Hassan Labat said both sides agreed to form a joint sovereign council that will rule the country for "three years or a little more." The sides agreed to five seats for the military and five for civilians with an additional seat going to a civilian with military background.

Both sides agreed to form a joint sovereign council that will rule the country for "three years or a little more"

Mohammed el-Hassan Labat, African Union envoy

ALSO READ: Sudan's military sidesteps proposal for civilian rule

The emerging deal could break weeks of political impasse since the military ousted autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April.

Talks on a power-sharing agreement had collapsed when security forces razed a protest camp outside the military headquarters in Khartoum on June 3.

The AU and Ethiopia made intensive efforts to bring the generals and the protesters back to the negotiating table.

Negotiations resumed earlier this week, following massive protests last weekend in which tens of thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Sudan's main cities in the biggest show of numbers since the razing of the protesters' sit-in camp. At least 11 people were killed in clashes with security forces, according to protest organizers.

In this June 29, 2019, file photo, Sudanese General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the military council, speaks during a military-backed rally, in Omdurman district, west of Khartoum, Sudan. (HUSSEIN MALLA / AP)

READ MORE: Death toll from clashes at Sudan rallies climbs to 11

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday had called on Sudanese authorities to lift restrictions on the internet and properly investigate all acts of violence and allegations of excessive use of force.

Over 250 people have been killed since an uprising erupted against al-Bashir in December, according to protest organizers. The military overthrew the longtime ruler in April, but protesters remained in the streets, fearing the generals intended to cling to power or preserve some form of authoritarian rule.

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