Sudanese people protest framework agreement between military and political forces

KHARTOUM, SUDAN - APRIL 6: Thousands of Sudanese people on Thursday held protests across the country against the framework agreement signed by civilians and the military. Police and the army took security measures around the Presidential Palace in Khartoum. Chanting slogans against the military, people demand complete civil rule. The signing of the political deal was supposed to take place on April 1 but was postponed until April 6 due to differences between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force. However, it was further delayed on Wednesday. Last December, Sudan’s military and political forces signed a framework agreement to resolve the months-long crisis. The deal pledged a two-year transition period and the appointment of a civilian prime minister by the political parties that signed the agreement. It also called for reforming the military and defense sector, unifying the military and integrating the Rapid Support Forces into the army. Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency, a move decried by political forces as a "military coup." Sudan’s transitional period which started in August 2019 was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024. (Footage by Mahmoud Haggag Mahmoud Ali /Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)