This archive report was first published on 11 July 2019.
On July 11, 2019, Sudan's ruling military council and civilian opposition reached a three-year transition deal, marking a significant step towards democracy in the country.
The deal, which was announced just a month after security forces killed dozens of people as they cleared a protest sit-in in the capital, has left activists in Burri, a Khartoum district, divided.
For Munzir Awad, a Burri activist, the deal is a step forward, but he acknowledges that many residents are unsure about its implications.
"Most people here celebrated because they are revolutionaries and they act on their emotions," Awad said, adding that residents had been swept up by the moment.
However, Mohamed Farouk, a 35-year-old factory worker and organiser of protests in the neighbourhood, is wary of the deal.
"If you stopped and asked any of those people celebrating what the deal actually meant, or what civilian actually meant, they’d have no idea," he said.
The transition deal provides for a government of technocrats and an independent investigation into recent violence, but it is unclear how this can be guaranteed, given the entrenched power of military and armed factions.
For Burri activists, justice is key, and many are anxious about the future, with some questioning whether the deal falls short of full civilian rule.
"Nothing terrifies them more than pressure from the streets," Farouk said, reflecting on the June 30 demonstrations that brought the generals back to the negotiating table.
