KHARTOUM, July 17 — Sudan’s protesters and ruling generals today inked a power sharing deal that aims to install a civilian administration, a key demand of demonstrators since president Omar al-Bashir was deposed three months ago.

The move loosens a deadlock that has gripped the country, following months of nationwide mass protests that began against Bashir but then continued after a military council deposed him in a palace coup on April 11.

The deputy chief of the military council General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo — who initialled the deal on behalf of the generals today — told AFP the agreement was a “historic moment” for Sudan.

It has “opened a new and promising era of partnership between the armed forces, RSF (Rapid Support Forces) and leaders of the glorious Sudanese revolution,” Dagalo said after he had put pen to paper.

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Alongside his position as deputy of the military council, Dagalo heads the RSF, a feared paramilitary organisation.

Ibrahim al-Amin, a key protest leader, confirmed “today, we completed the political declaration.”

Intense talks took place through the night over details of the agreement at a luxury hotel on the bank of the Nile river in the capital, an AFP correspondent reported.

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The landmark power sharing deal, which was agreed in principle on July 5, has been brokered by African Union and Ethiopian mediators after weeks of stop-start negotiations between the protest umbrella group and ruling generals.

“The Transitional Military Council and the Alliance for Freedom and Change have reached a very important agreement that constitutes a crucial step towards a comprehensive reconciliation,” said African Union mediator Mohamed El Hacen Lebatt.

The accord stipulates that a new transitional civilian-military ruling body be established, in a bid to end the country’s months-long political crisis.

This governing body will be comprised of six civilians and five military representatives.

The civilian representation will include five from the Alliance for Freedom and Change.

A general will head the ruling body during the first 21 months of a transition, followed by a civilian for the remaining 18 months, according to the framework agreement.

The governing council is to oversee the formation of a transitional civilian administration that will operate for just over three years, after which elections would be held.

Amin said TODAY that wider power sharing details would be fleshed out in a “constitutional document” and that talks would “resume... on Friday”.

Tensions climaxed on June 3 when armed men in military fatigues stormed a longstanding protest camp in Khartoum, shooting and beating crowds of demonstrators in a pre-dawn raid.

Dozens were killed and hundreds wounded, triggering international outrage — and allegations that the RSF was behind the killings — although the generals insisted they did not order the violent dispersal of protesters.

Talks to fine tune the details of the deal since July 5 had been postponed several times at the request of protest leaders. — AFP