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Sudan's military leaders and pro-democracy forces will delay the signing of an agreement to usher in a civilian government, both sides said in a joint statement issued early Saturday. The postponement of the signing which had been scheduled for later Saturday comes as key security reform negotiations between the Sudanese army and the country's powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces appear to have reached a deadlock. A meeting will be held Sunday to set a new date for signing the final political agreement, which could not be signed on time due to the lack of consensus on some outstanding issues," the statement said. Sudan has been mired in chaos after a military coup, led by the country's top Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, removed a Western-backed power-sharing government in October 2021, upending the country's short-lived transition to democracy. But last December, the military, the RSF and numerous pro-democracy groups signed a preliminary deal vowing to restore the transition.
Sudan says it has detected the country's first case of the monkeypox virus in the conflict-wrecked Darfur region. The Health Ministry said late on Sunday that the 16-year-old student's case was discovered last week in West Darfur province. It did not give further details about the patient. The ministry said there were at least 38 suspected cases of monkeypox and all tested negative to the virus but one in West Darfur. It said health authorities were working to determine the student's contacts to limit the spread of the virus. An outbreak of monkeypox could be devastating for Sudan, which suffered from decades of conflict in Darfur and other parts of the country, and international isolation. The East African nation is in turmoil since a military coup last year derailed its short-lived transition to democracy. The virus originates in primates and other wild animals and causes fever, body aches, chills and fatigue in most patients. People with severe cases can develop a rash and lesi