Khartoum (dpa) - The Sudanese military and the opposition agreed on a power-sharing transitional government on Friday, a breakthrough after weeks of stalemate and following a bloody crackdown on protesters.

The main opposition grouping Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) and the military are to take turns at the helm of a sovereign council for a period of three years, state news agency SUNA reported, with set elections to follow.

The main sticking point in negotiations that broke down in May was whether the leader of the council would be military or civilian.

"We assure the Sudanese people that this agreement will not exclude any group," Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy chairman of the transitional military council (TMC), was cited as saying.

There was no immediate confirmation of how exactly the power-sharing agreement would work, though some media reports said each council leader would get a 1.5-year term.

"The agreement represents a key step in the right direction to achieve the revolution's goals," leading FFC member Omer Adigir said, according to SUNA.

The two sides also agreed to investigate recent violence in the country, which led to dozens of deaths.

Meanwhile, the woman who became a symbol of Sudan's pro-democracy protests and was dubbed the "Nubian Queen," said she is cautiously optimistic about the deal.

"In general I am optimistic ... but we have to wait to see if the Transitional Military Council will fulfil its commitments because in the past it did not and killed protesters in cold blood," Ala Salah - whose white-robed image went viral during the protests - told dpa.

Anti-government demonstrations began in Sudan late last year with protesters calling for long-time leader Omar al-Bashir to go. The military stepped in in April, launching a coup and arresting him.

But protesters have argued that the new military rulers are a continuation of al-Bashir's former regime and have sought more concessions and a transition to civilian government.

On June 3 the security forces launched a crackdown to clear the protesters' sit-in, which opposition groups say killed more than 100 people. The UN Security Council strongly condemned the violence.

After the news of the power-sharing deal broke on Friday, photos showed people celebrating in the streets, more were expected to turn out in celebration after Friday prayers.