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Sudan reaches deal to end bloody military crackdown

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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