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Sudan Forms 11-Member Sovereign Council, Headed by Military Leader


FILE - General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan's ruling military council, addresses the crowd in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, June 29, 2019.
FILE - General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan's ruling military council, addresses the crowd in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, June 29, 2019.

Sudan on Tuesday completed the formation of an 11-member sovereign council that will run the country for a three-year transitional period until elections, a spokesman for the ruling military council told a news conference.

The sovereign council will be led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is the head of the transitional military council (TMC), which has ruled Sudan since April, when the military deposed veteran leader Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

Members of the sovereign council and the prime minister will be sworn in Wednesday.

Last week, Sudan's main opposition alliance nominated economist Abdalla Hamdok to serve as prime minister in the country's transitional government.

A power-sharing agreement signed Saturday paves the way for a transitional government and eventual elections. It provides for a sovereign council as the highest authority in the country but largely delegates executive powers to the cabinet of ministers.

According to the agreement, the opposition coalition is allowed to choose five members of the council and the military another five, with the two sides jointly choosing a civilian as an eleventh member.

The agreement also provides for a 300-member legislative assembly to serve during the transitional period and a cabinet of technocrats.

The main challenge for the new government will be an economic crisis stemming from a shortage of foreign currency, resulting in a cash crunch and long lines for fuel and bread.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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