Saudi Arabia, EU, UN, and UAE hail Sudan landmark deal

Saudi Arabia, the European Union, the United Nations, and the United Arab Emirates have welcomed the landmark deal between protest leaders and Sudan’s ruling generals to bring months of unrest to a close.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry welcomed the agreement reached in Sudan, according to the Saudi Press Agency, and expressed that the Kingdom is looking forward to the step as a new secure and stable phase in the African country.

A spokesman for the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that “the agreement reached by the Transitional Military Council and the Forces for Freedom and Change in Sudan on a three-year civilian-led transition, as announced by the African Union, is a breakthrough.”

He also stressed the need for forming a government. “A competent and empowered civilian government that can restore peace, deliver economic prosperity, and protect the human rights of all in Sudan should be formed promptly.”

From his side, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was encouraged by the power-sharing deal.

Guterres “encourages all stakeholders to ensure the timely, inclusive, and transparent implementation of the agreement and resolve any outstanding issues through dialogue,” said a UN statement.

The United Arab Emirates also congratulated Sudan after the deal, with its Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash saying the Gulf country would stand with Khartoum in “good times and bad times”.

“We hope that the next phase will witness the foundation of a constitutional system that will strengthen the role of institutions with broad national and popular support,” Gargash added in a Twitter post on Friday.

The agreement was reached in the early hours Friday after two days of talks brokered by Ethiopian and African Union mediators.

It calls for setting up a sovereign council with a rotating military and civilian presidency for a period of three years and three months.

Sudan has been gripped by political deadlock since the generals ousted longtime president Omar al-Bashir in a palace coup in April following months of mass protests nationwide.

With agencies