Sudan’s transitional military council and protest leaders on Sunday signed a constitutional declaration, which opens up a path for a pledged transition to civilian rule following months of sustained civilian protests.
Sudan’s deputy head of the TMC General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo and protest leader Ahmed Rabie signed the declaration at a ceremony attended by mediators from the African Union and Ethiopia in Khartoum.
A protest leader Monzer Abu al-Maali, who spoke to AFP, said that a formal signing in the presence of of foreign dignitaries is scheduled for August 17.
Abu al-Maali added that members of the ruling sovereign council will be announced on August 18, while the prime minister will be named on August 20 and cabinet members on August 28.
The signing of the declaration is the culmination of a protracted negotiation process that has been interrupted several times due to violence against protesters and hardline positions.
Last month, the military and protesters agreed on a power-sharing deal which would see a joint civilian-military ruling body oversee the formation of a transitional civilian government and parliament to govern for a three-year transition period, after which elections would be held.
Protests erupted in Sudan in December last year following the tripling of bread price, but they eventually morphed into protests against the administration of Omar al-Bashir, who had been in power for nearly 30 years.
Bashir was eventually forced out of office on April 11, but the protests continued as protesters demanded that the military council, which succeeded Bashir, hand over power to a civilian-led administration.
