Sudan forms sovereign council to lead transition: spokesperson

Sudan's generals and opposition alliance on Tuesday formed a sovereign council that will head the country during its three-year transition to civilian rule, a spokesperson said.

The line-up of the 11-member council was announced by a spokesperson for the Transitional Military Council that had taken charge after longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir was forced from power in April.

The council includes five members of the military and will be headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who was already the head of the TMC.

"The president of the sovereign council will be sworn in... at 11:00 am (0900 GMT)" on Wednesday, TMC spokesperson Shamseddine Kabbashi said in a short televised address.

It will be headed by a general for the first 21 months and by a civilian for the remaining 18 months of the transitional period, due to end in 2022 with democratic elections.

Among the six civilian members of the new ruling council are two women, one of them from Sudan's Christian minority.