KHARTOUM — Sudan was taking further steps in its transition toward civilian rule on Wednesday with the swearing in of a new sovereign council and the appointment of a prime minister.

The body replaces the Transitional Military Council (TMC) that took charge after months of deadly street protests brought down longtime ruler Omar Bashir in April.

The first steps of the transition after the mass celebrations that marked the Aug. 17 adoption of a transitional constitution proved difficult however.

The names of the joint civilian-military sovereign council’s 11 members were eventually announced late Tuesday after differences within the opposition camp held up the process for two days.

General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, who already headed the TMC, was sworn in as the chairman of the new sovereign council shortly after 11:00 a.m. (0900 GMT), state news agency SUNA reported.

He will be Sudan’s head of state for the first 21 months of the 39-month transition period, until a civilian takes over for the remainder.

The council’s 10 other members are expected to be sworn in later Wednesday and Abdalla Hamdok, who was chosen by the opposition last week to be prime minister, is also due to take office.

The sovereign council includes two women, including a member of Sudan’s Christian minority, and it will oversee the formation of a government and of a legislative body.

The transition’s key documents were signed on Saturday at a ceremony attended by a host of foreign dignitaries, signaling that Sudan could be on its way to shedding its pariah status.

Sudan’s new rulers are expected to push for the lifting of the suspension from the African Union that followed a deadly crackdown on a sit-in in June.

The ruling council will also seek to have the country removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for his role in massacres in the Darfur region, where a rebellion broke out in 2003.

He appeared in court on Monday — but only on charges of corruption for the opening of a trial.

Pictures of the 75-year-old autocrat sitting in a cage during the hearing instantly became a symbol of his military regime’s downfall.

Sudan’s transitional authorities would need to ratify the ICC’s Rome Statute to allow for the transfer of the former military ruler to The Hague.

Amidst the euphoria celebrating the promise of civilian rule, unease was palpable within the protest camp that brought about one of the most significant moments in Sudan’s modern history. — AFP