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Sudanese Celebrate ‘Birthday of Joy’ as Military and Opposition Ink Power-Sharing Deal

Sudanese civilians celebrate the power-sharing deal struck between Sudan's military and opposition groups. (Photo: YouTube screenshot)
Sudanese civilians celebrate the power-sharing deal struck between Sudan's military and opposition groups. (Photo: YouTube screenshot)

Sudan’s power-sharing deal will include a joint investigation of recent waves of violence across Sudan and the formation of a technocrat government of independent national figures.

The Sudanese opposition Coalition of Freedom and Change said on Friday it had reached a power-sharing agreement with the transitional military council of Sudan. According to a statement issued by the coalition, both sides agreed to form a joint sovereign council that is assigned to move ahead with a transitional democratic process.

The statement read that the upcoming council will include five representatives for the opposition and five others for the military, as well as one more civilian representative, on which the two sides should agree.

The Freedom and Change opposition coalition considered Friday’s agreement the “birthday of joy,” calling on all Sudanese to stand united for the best of Sudan’s future. Reacting to the opposition’s announcement, thousands of Sudanese people took to the streets of Khartoum, hailing the power-sharing agreement.

The African Union’s envoy to Sudan, Mohamed el-Hassan Labat, reportedly explained that both the opposition groups and the transitional military council of Sudan agreed to run the country for a period of three years or a little longer.

The two sides, according to Labat, will be in charge of investigating recent waves of violence across Sudan, forming a technocrat government of independent national figures, as well as working on improving social and economic conditions. Labat expected the parties will officially sign the agreement in a few days in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum with the attendance of regional leaders.

Last Sunday, large crowds of people took to the streets across cities and towns in Sudan to demand a democratic government. According to the Sudanese ministry of health, 11 civilian protesters were killed and 181 others were wounded during clashes between protesters and security forces in a number of Sudanese regions, mainly in Khartoum.

In a meeting held Friday, June 28, with editors-in-chief of Sudanese newspapers, the chief of the transitional military council of Sudan, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said his council is ready to support forming a coalition government of Sudan. Al-Burhan added that the Ethiopian President, Abiy Ahmed, had earlier proposed the inclusion of other political forces of Sudan, such as the Popular Conference party, in any upcoming coalition government.

Earlier, the Coalition of Freedom and Change in Sudan announced it had received a draft proposal for a coalition government from the Ethiopian presidency.

Since last December Sudan has lived through mass demonstrations in protest of the soaring prices of goods and commodities as well as inflation. The protests recently pushed the Sudanese army to overthrow the authoritarian President Omar al-Bashir who had remained in power for more than three decades.

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Rami Almeghari

Rami Almeghari is a freelance independent writer, journalist and lecturer, based in the Gaza Strip. Rami has contributed in English to several media outlets worldwide, including print, radio and TV. He can be reached on facebook as Rami Munir Almeghari and on email as [email protected]

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