Jul 5, 2019

Sudan reaches deal to end bloody military crackdown

Rashaan Ayesh

Sudanese people celebrate after civilian and military leaders reached an agreement — Photo: Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty Images

Sudan's military leaders and civilian protestors have agreed to share power, reports the New York Times.

What's next: The military and civilian leadership are forming a joint legislative council, and they will be rotating control until democratic elections are held in about 3 years, says the NYT. Once a new president is elected, the military is expected to resume its traditional role and cease involvement in the nation's leadership.

A military general will lead a joint council for the first 21 months of the transition period, followed by a civilian leader who will be in charge for 18 months, per the Times.
The military and civilian groups will each nominate 5 members to the council, and will jointly nominate an 11th member, according to Al Jazeera.
An independent investigation will be launched looking into the violence that broke out during a civilian protest in June, per Al Jazeera.

Backdrop: "The uprising in Sudan began in December and brought down Sudan’s brutal dictator Omar al-Bashir, who ruled for 30 years, in April. Since then the army and the opposition have grappled over the future of the country," writes Axios' Dave Lawler.

On June 5, paramilitary forces attacked protestors and killed at least 100 civilians, raped women and threw the bodies into the Nile River.

Go deeper: How Sudan's pro-democracy uprising was beaten back

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Sudan reaches deal to end bloody military crackdown

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