Sudan's new sovereign council delayed until Tuesday

KHARTOUM — The unveiling of Sudan's sovereign council, which will govern the country's transition to civilian rule, has been postponed until Tuesday, military rulers said.

The line-up was due to have been announced on Sunday, in line with a deal reached between the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and an opposition coalition.

The TMC, which took over from Omar Al Bashir's regime after he was forced from power in April, issued a statement Monday saying that its own dissolution and the formation of the sovereign council were postponed for 48 hours.

It said the extension was granted "at the request of the Forces for Freedom and Change" after they came back on the some of the five names they put forward on Sunday.

The FFC is the main opposition umbrella, which was initially called the Alliance for Freedom and Change, representing the leaders of the months-long protests that brought down Bashir's regime.

The ruling sovereign council will be composed of 11 members including six civilians and five from the military.

It will be headed by a general for the first 21 months and by a civilian for the remaining 18 months.

The council will oversee the formation of a transitional civilian administration, including a Cabinet and a legislative body.