(Bloomberg) -- Sudan's military council signed a power-sharing deal with the country's firebrand opposition that seeks to stem months of uncertainty and sporadic bloodshed after the overthrow of long-time President Omar al-Bashir.
Under the accord, civilian and military representatives will form an 11-seat sovereign council with executive responsibilities, and elections will take place after three years. The council's deputy head, Mohamed Hamdan, and a representative of the Forces for Freedom and Change coalition signed the agreement Wednesday morning in the capital, Khartoum.
Hamdan hailed the pact as “opening a new era in Sudan's history,” pledging a “strong and transparent partnership with our brothers in the FFC.” One group from the opposition alliance has rejected the deal, while rebels fighting long-running insurgences in Sudan's south and west said it needs amendments.
Sudan's army has controlled Africa's third-largest country since mass demonstrations sparked by an economic crisis spurred it to oust Bashir in April. The opposition has kept up its protests despite a clampdown, accusing the council -- peopled by the old guard from Bashir's three-decade rule -- of trying to prevent a genuine transition to democracy.
How Sudan Is Moving on After Brutal Leader's Ouster: QuickTake
The new pact, which analysts say still leaves many questions on the transition unanswered, was the fruit of sustained international pressure on Sudan's military rulers in the wake of a June crackdown by security forces on a Khartoum protest site. More than 100 people were killed, with some of the bodies dumped in the Nile River.
A second signing of a so-called constitutional declaration is scheduled to take place Friday.
“This deal prevents the worst, but will not be sufficient on its own to bring Sudan back from the brink,” said Alan Boswell, an analyst with the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. “The coordinated pressure across continents required to produce this deal will now be required to keep it on track.”
--With assistance from Okech Francis and Nizar Manek.
To contact the reporters on this story: Mohammed Alamin in Khartoum at malamin1@bloomberg.net;Tarek El-Tablawy in Cairo at teltablawy@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Michael Gunn, Mark Williams
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