Sudan parties agree on 3-yr transition period

Sudanese army rulers and protest leaders yesterday agreed on a three-year transition period for transferring power to a full civilian administration. The protest movement is demanding a civilian-led transition following 30 years of iron-fisted rule by now deposed president Omar al-Bashir, but the generals who toppled him have been holding onto a leadership role. Talks between the two sides resumed earlier in the week but were marred by violence when an army major and five protesters were killed by unidentified gunmen at a long-running sit-in outside military headquarters in Khartoum. The two sides announced early yesterday after nearly 12 hours of negotiations that they had reached an agreement on the transition period. A final agreement on the sharing of power, including the forming of the next ruling body -- the sovereign council -- will be signed with the protest movement, the Alliance for Freedom and Change, within a day, a military source said.