Cairo, Aug 17 (AP/UNB) — Sudan's pro-democracy movement signed a final power-sharing agreement with the ruling military council on Saturday at a ceremony in the capital, Khartoum.

The deal paves the way for a transition to civilian-led government following the military overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April.

The signing capped weeks of tortuous negotiations between the military and protest leaders. Earlier this month, the two sides initialed a constitutional document in the wake of international pressure and amid growing concerns the political crisis could ignite civil war.

Ethiopia and the African Union co-led mediation efforts between the military and protesters, and many regional leaders and international envoys attended Saturday's ceremony, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Attendees in the Friendship Hall where the ceremony took place received Ahmed with cheering chants.

Sudanese celebrated in Khartoum and elsewhere across the country. Videos posted online showed people celebrating in the streets in Darfur and the eastern province of Kassala.

Railway workers and other protesters had traveled to the capital Friday by train from Atbara, the northern transport hub where the uprising began in December.

Protest leader Mohammed Naji al-Asam said they have ushered a "new page" in Sudan's history after three decades of "repression and corruption."

He said the transitional government would prioritize a "fair and comprehensive peace" with rebels across Sudan.

Former Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, the leader of the opposition Umma party, said the deal was a "first step" in the democratic change till holding "fair" elections.

"Today is the day of transition to civilian rule.... The next stage will be a test for us, without exclusion. We will open the door so all people can participate," said al-Mahdi who led Sudan's last freely elected government before the Islamists-backed military coup in 1989.

The power-sharing deal creates a joint military and civilian sovereign council to rule for a little over three years until elections can be held. A military leader would head the 11-member council for the first 21 months, followed by a civilian leader for the next 18.

The agreement would also establish a Cabinet appointed by the activists, as well as a legislative body to be assembled within three months. The protest coalition is to have a majority in that body, as nominated by the Forces for Declaration of Freedom, a coalition of opposition parties and movements representing the protesters.

The FDFC has nominated a well-known economist, Abdalla Hamdok, to lead the government during the transition. He served as the the deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa since November 2011, and has yet to be confirmed by the sovereign council. The council's members are to be announced on Sunday, after which the ruling military council will immediately be disbanded.

The deal has been criticized by the Sudan Revolutionary Front, an alliance of the largest rebel groups in Darfur. The rebels have stressed to protester leaders that the agreement did not include "basic principles" to achieve peace in Sudan. The deal calls for the government to reach a peace agreement with the rebels within six months.

The rebel alliance, which is part of the FDFC, wanted to include a peace document agreed with the protest movement into the power-sharing deal. The rebel leaders have engaged in talks with other protest leaders to settle the disputed points.

The military overthrew al-Bashir following months of protests against his three-decade-long authoritarian rule. The protesters then remained in the streets, demanding a rapid transition to civilian leadership.

The two sides came under renewed pressure to reach an accord after security forces opened fire on student protesters in the city of Obeid on Aug. 1, leaving six people dead. At least nine troops from the paramilitary Rapid Support forces were arrested over the killings.

In June, security forces violently dispersed the protesters' main sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum, killing dozens of people and plunging the fragile transition into crisis. The deal includes the establishment of an independent investigation into the crackdown.

Dar Es Salaam, Aug 10 (AP/UNB) — A damaged tanker truck exploded in eastern Tanzania Saturday as people were trying to siphon fuel out of it, killing at least 62, in one of the worst incidents of its kind in the East African country.

Citing police figures, state broadcaster KBC said a further at least 70 people were injured in the incident early Saturday in the town of Morogoro. Regional police commissioner Steven Kabwe told the local Azam TV that many suffered serious burns.

Tanzanian government spokesman Hassan Abbasi said on Twitter that news of the deaths was "received with sadness."

"We send our condolences to the families, relatives and friends," he said.

Witnesses in Morogoro, which lies about 120 miles (200 kilometers) from Tanzania's economic hub of Dar es Salaam, told The Associated Press that scores of people had gathered around the fuel tanker after it was involved in an accident early on Saturday. They said people were trying to siphon away fuel when the tanker burst into flames.

Incidents of people being killed in explosions while stealing fuel from incapacitated tankers are common in East Africa. Those who steal the fuel usually hope to be able to sell it cheaply to motorists.

In 2013, a similarly deadly incident killed at least 29 people on the outskirts of the Ugandan capital, Kampala, as scores swarmed around the scene of an accident.

There is limited awareness among many people about the danger from explosions of damaged fuel tankers, said Henry Bantu, a road safety expert who runs the Tanzania-based Safe Speed Foundation. Local leaders need to do more to educate people on the risks, he said.

Johannesburg, Aug 7 (AP/UNB)  — Mozambique's president and the leader of the country's main opposition group signed a new peace accord Tuesday, pledging to end years of violence and facilitate elections in the fall.

In signing the Peace and National Reconciliation Agreement, President Filipe Nyusi and Renamo leader Ossufo Momade said they would peacefully participate in Oct. 15 elections.

Portuguese news agency Lusa said the signing ceremony in Mozambique's capital of Maputo was witnessed by five African heads of state, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Thousands of Maputo residents also attended the ceremony in Peace Square, including many children wearing T-shirts printed with the phrase "Ultimate Peace."

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, and Portuguese Foreign Secretary Teresa Rebeiro were present as well.

Mozambique is a former Portuguese colony that won independence in 1975. Portugal supported the peace negotiations.

The peace accord followed the two leaders signing a related agreement last week to cease military hostilities.

The two agreements are the result of years of negotiations to bring an end to sporadic violence that has persisted since a bloody civil war ended in 1992. An estimated 1 million people died in the 15-year war.

A previous peace agreement was signed in 2014, but the violence sporadically flared up.

The new accords call for the immediate disarmament and reintegration into society of more than 5,000 Renamo rebels. Some Renamo officers are to take up leadership positions in the military.

However, only a few of the rebels have turned in their arms so far.

As part of the negotiations, Mozambique's legislature amended the country's constitution so provincial governors will be elected instead of appointed by the ruling party.

The change is expected to allow Renamo to win a few provincial governorships in the central and northern regions where it has support.

Cairo, Aug 5 (AP/UNB) — A multiple-car crash on a Cairo street in front of Egypt's main cancer hospital set off an explosion that triggered a fire outside the building, killing a total of 19 people, authorities said Monday.

The crash and the explosion also injured 30 others, the health ministry said, but it wasn't immediately clear if any of the casualties were inside the hospital.

The Interior Ministry said a vehicle driving against the traffic — for reasons that were not specified — had collided with up to three others late on Sunday, causing the explosion on the Nile-side street, the city's famous Corniche. At least 54 patients were evacuated to other hospitals while the fire was later brought under control.

The blast damaged the hospital's main gate and several patient rooms and wards, according to a statement from the Cairo University. Its Medical School uses the institute as an educational facility.

Television stations on Monday morning broadcast footage of shattered windows and doors. The health ministry did not say if hospital patients or staff were among the casualties.

There was no immediate explanation as to why the crash had caused such a large explosion and officials could not be reached for questions about possible sabotage or whether there had been any explosive materials at the scene.

The county's top prosecutor ordered an investigation into the crash, according to the state-run MENA news agency.

"We heard an explosion and ... the bank entrance glass was shattered everywhere," said Abdel-Rahman Mohamed, a security officer at a bank at the opposite side of the hospital.

The health ministry said the injured were taken to different hospitals for treatment.

Health Minister Hala Zayed said in TV comments that unidentified body parts were being collected in body bags from the site of the explosion. It was also possible that some bodies had ended up in the Nile, she added.

The police quickly cordoned off the area of the crash. Civil defense workers were seen Monday morning removing debris as officials milled about, inspecting the hospital to determine the extent of the damage to the building.

The riverbank is close to Cairo's Tahrir Square, which became known internationally as the scene of mass protests in the 2011 uprising that toppled autocratic President Hosni Mubarak.

Road accidents are common in Egypt, often the result of badly maintained roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws. The country's official statistics agency says 8,000 crashes last year caused more than 3,000 deaths and 12,000 injuries.

Cairo, Aug 5 (AP/UNB) — A multiple-car crash on a Cairo street in front of Egypt's main cancer hospital set off an explosion that triggered a fire outside the building, killing a total of 19 people, authorities said Monday.

The crash and the explosion also injured 30 others, the health ministry said, but it wasn't immediately clear if any of the casualties were inside the hospital.

The Interior Ministry said a vehicle driving against the traffic — for reasons that were not specified — had collided with up to three others late on Sunday, causing the explosion on the Nile-side street, the city's famous Corniche. At least 54 patients were evacuated to other hospitals while the fire was later brought under control.

The blast damaged the hospital's main gate and several patient rooms and wards, according to a statement from the Cairo University. Its Medical School uses the institute as an educational facility.

Television stations on Monday morning broadcast footage of shattered windows and doors. The health ministry did not say if hospital patients or staff were among the casualties.

There was no immediate explanation as to why the crash had caused such a large explosion and officials could not be reached for questions about possible sabotage or whether there had been any explosive materials at the scene.

The county's top prosecutor ordered an investigation into the crash, according to the state-run MENA news agency.

"We heard an explosion and ... the bank entrance glass was shattered everywhere," said Abdel-Rahman Mohamed, a security officer at a bank at the opposite side of the hospital.

The health ministry said the injured were taken to different hospitals for treatment.

Health Minister Hala Zayed said in TV comments that unidentified body parts were being collected in body bags from the site of the explosion. It was also possible that some bodies had ended up in the Nile, she added.

The police quickly cordoned off the area of the crash. Civil defense workers were seen Monday morning removing debris as officials milled about, inspecting the hospital to determine the extent of the damage to the building.

The riverbank is close to Cairo's Tahrir Square, which became known internationally as the scene of mass protests in the 2011 uprising that toppled autocratic President Hosni Mubarak.

Road accidents are common in Egypt, often the result of badly maintained roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws. The country's official statistics agency says 8,000 crashes last year caused more than 3,000 deaths and 12,000 injuries.