Sudan protesters, army postpone announcement on ruling body

An elderly Sudanese man flashes the victory sign as he joins others celebrating after signing the constitutional declaration between the ruling military council and protest movement, in Khartoum, Sudan, 04 August 2019. (File/EPA)

CAIRO: Sudan’s ruling military council says the country’s pro-democracy movement has asked for a delay on the announcement of a joint ruling body because of last-minute, internal disputes over appointees.
The 11-member sovereign council is to rule Sudan for a little over three years until elections can be held.
It was created under a power-sharing deal between the military and the protesters and was to be announced on Sunday.
But the military council’s spokesman Shams el-Din Kabashi said Monday that the movement withdrew its appointees to the council and would hold more consultations among its factions.
The development comes after internal disputes within the Sudanese Professionals Association, one of the opposition factions, over its nominee. The SPA had spearheaded Sudan’s protests that led to the ouster of longtime autocrat Omar Al-Bashir.