Sudanese protesters and the ruling transitional military council held on Monday their first meeting in over a week.
Lt. Gen. Shams al-Deen al-Kabashi, a spokesman for the military council, said the meeting was held "in a more optimistic atmosphere."
The protesters are represented by the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, a coalition of opposition groups led by the Sudanese Professionals Association , which has spearheaded the protests since December.
Al-Kabashi said they agreed on the creation of a sovereign council, a cabinet and a legislative body that would govern the country during the transition. He said they will discuss the makeup of the three bodies and the duration of the transition on Tuesday.
"Tomorrow the talks will continue to discuss the period of transition and the composition of the authorities,” Taha Osman, a spokesman for the protest movement, told AFP.
The two sides remain divided over what role the military should have in the transition period until elections can be held.
The military wants to play a leading role in a transition lasting up to two years, while the protesters have demanded an immediate transition to a civilian-led authority that would govern for four years.
The opposition has vowed to continue protests, centered on a sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum. It has called for a series of nationwide protests, including another march to the main sit-in, for the coming week.
Footage circulating online Monday showed protesters blocking roads in Khartoum with burning tires and trees. Other footage showed men from the Rapid Support Forces forcibly dispersing protesters. The paramilitary RSF, which has led counterinsurgency campaigns in Darfur and other regions, is led by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of the military council.
The SPA said the road closures were in response to the military council's delay in handing over power to civilians.
