Sudan’s rivals sign framework deal for transition

Sudan’s ruling Military Council and political forces on Monday signed a framework agreement meant to resolve the country’s months-long crisis, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The deal was signed by Army Chief, Gen. Abdul Fattah Al-Burhan, the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and a number of rebel movements.

The agreement pledges a 2-year transition period and the appointment of a civilian prime minister by political parties that signed the framework agreement.

It also calls for the reform of the military and defence sector, unifying the military and integrating the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force, into the army.

The framework agreement was signed amid mass protests staged by pro-democracy demonstrators in the capital, Khartoum, to show their opposition to the deal.

Protesters raised banners condemning the agreement and the military as they marched towards the presidential palace in Khartoum, according to an Anadolu Agency reporter.

Several Sudanese groups have boycotted the deal, including the grassroots pro-democracy network, known as the Resistance Committees, which opposes any negotiations with the military.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency, a move decried by political forces as a “military coup.”

READ: Sudan sees protests against deal between army, civilians