Sudan army extends transition period to three years

Sudanese army rulers and protest leaders on Wednesday agreed on a three year transition period for transferring power to a full civilian administration, a general announced.

"We agreed on a transitional period of three years," Lieutenant General Yasser al-Atta, a member of the military council that took power after the ouster of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir told reporters.

The announcement comes shortly after protest leaders resumed talks with Sudan's military rulers, seeking to build on a political breakthrough overshadowed by deadly shootings that is being blamed on the generals.

An army major and five protesters were killed by unidentified gunmen at a long-running sit-in outside military headquarters in Khartoum late on Monday.

Sudan's military seized power in a coup in April, overthrowing former president Omar al-Bashir, after months of popular protests against his rule.

Protesters continue to hold a mass sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum and demonstrations across the country, calling on the military to transfer power to a civilian body immediately.

Protesters are wary of martial rule and have explicitly rejected foreign interference, specifically from the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The transitional military council initially said its rule will last for two years, after which the country will hold elections for the formation of a civilian government, although leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has said that it may be possible to transfer power to a civilian body sooner if the council is presented with an adequate plan.