Sudan generals, protest camp sign accord

Sudan’s army rulers and protest leaders yesterday signed a hard-won constitutional declaration that paves the way for a promised transition to civilian rule following more than seven months of often deadly street rallies. The agreement, signed at a ceremony in Khartoum, builds on a landmark July 17 power-sharing deal and provides for a joint civilian-military ruling body to oversee the formation of a transitional civilian government and parliament to govern for a three-year transition period. Yesterday’s accord was the result of difficult negotiations between the leaders of mass protests which erupted last December against Omar al-Bashir’s three-decade rule and the generals who eventually ousted him in April.