This archive report was first published on 3 August 2019.
On July 17, 2019, Sudan's pro-democracy movement and the governing military council finalized a power-sharing agreement, according to African Union envoy Mohamed el-Hassan Lebatt.
The agreement outlines the division of responsibilities for a three-year transition to elections, as per a constitutional declaration. However, further details about the agreement and the signing ceremony were not provided by Lebatt.
Protest leader Omar al-Dagir was quoted by Sudan's state-run SUNA news agency as saying the agreement would be signed on Sunday, July 21, 2019. Protest leaders also confirmed the development.
The power-sharing deal comes after weeks of protracted negotiations brokered by the African Union and neighboring Ethiopia, amidst sporadic bouts of violence in the capital, Khartoum, and other cities.
Lebatt announced the agreement to the Sudanese, African, and international public opinion, stating, “I am announcing to the Sudanese, African and international public opinion that the two delegations have fully agreed on the constitutional declaration.”
Further meetings would be held to work out the technical details of the signing ceremony, according to Lebatt.
The long-awaited declaration deal prompted celebrations in Sudan, which has been plunged into months of crisis. “We’re victorious!” some people chanted while others sang the national anthem.
The main opposition coalition, the Forces of Freedom and Change, welcomed the agreement as a “first step with more to follow” and pledged to complete the journey to “freedom, peace and justice” in Sudan.
