Envoy says Sudan rivals reach power-sharing agreement

An African Union envoy says Sudan’s ruling military council and the country’s pro-democracy movement have reached a power-sharing agreement, including a timetable for a transition to civilian rule.

Mohammed el-Hassan Labat said early Friday that both sides agreed to form a joint sovereign council that will rule the country for “three years or a little more.” The sides agreed to five seats for the military and five for civilians with an additional seat going to a civilian with military background.

The emerging deal could break weeks of political impasse since the military ousted autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April.

Talks on a power-sharing agreement had collapsed when security forces razed a protest camp in Khartoum on June 3. Negotiations resumed earlier this week, after massive protests last weekend.