Sudan’s ruling military council and pro-democracy protesters on Sunday initialed a constitutional declaration aimed at paving the way for a transition to civilian rule after the ouster of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and months of unrest.

Protest leaders hugged and congratulated one another with tearful smiles after officials signed the agreement. Representatives of both sides lifted up their copies of the deal.

“Today, we turn a conflict-ridden page in Sudan’s history,” Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, the deputy chief of the military council that took over after Mr. al-Bashir’s ouster, said at the signing event.

Hundreds gathered outside the hall where the document was signed, singing and chanting, “Civilian government is ours!”

The African Union envoy, Mohamed el-Hassan Lebatt, had announced at a news conference in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, shortly before dawn on Saturday that the two sides had reached an agreement for a three-year transitional period, prompting applause and celebrations in the streets.

Mohanad Hamid, a spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals Association, one of the main organizations behind the protest movement, described the deal as “a breakthrough.”

“It is a success and a great step forward toward establishing democracy in Sudan,” he said in an interview.

Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the military council, told the TV channel Al Hadath, “This is the agreement the Sudanese people have been waiting for since the independence” from Britain in 1956.

The Arab League also welcomed the deal.

The agreement between Sudan’s factions comes after a popular uprising that began in December with a demonstration against the soaring price of bread. The protests expanded into a movement that led to the removal of Mr. al-Bashir after 30 years in power.

The latest round of negotiations took place over two nights beginning on Thursday, as the two sides worked out the last sticking points from a landmark agreement on power sharing that aimed to establish civilian rule in Sudan.

One of the points that had been left undecided was the fate of the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary run by the powerful General Hamdan. According to the agreement signed on Sunday, the forces will be directly overseen by the Sudanese Army.

Another point of contention was the possibility of absolute immunity from prosecution for military generals for past actions, including protest-related violence. The agreement established that immunity could be lifted for a convicted military official based on a vote by a legislative body made up of representatives from the pro-democracy movements, Mr. Hamid said.

Ebtesam Sanhouri, a negotiator from the protest movement, said in a news conference in Khartoum on Saturday that a transitional, military-civilian governing body would have “limited powers” and that most decisions would lie with the civilian government and the legislative body.

Al-Rayah al-Sadig, a leading member of the Sudanese Professionals Association, said in an interview that a new prime minister, chosen by the Forces for Freedom and Change, the main pro-democracy coalition, would be named immediately after the official signing ceremony for the constitutional declaration on Aug. 17.

He added that a 20-member transitional government would be named within 21 days of the ceremony. Negotiations were still underway on a proposal to postpone the dismantling of the military council until after the government is announced, he said.

The celebration on Sunday was mixed with grief, Mr. al-Sadig said, because of the memory of the dozens of protesters who had been killed since the uprising broke out and while the talks were taking place.

Last week, at least 10 protesters were shot dead, including five teenage students, in two separate demonstrations. Several members of the Rapid Support Forces were arrested in connection with the students’ killing, which brought international condemnation.

On June 3, dozens of protesters were killed at a sit-in in Khartoum. The deadly violence had raised fears about the fate of the talks.

Mr. Hamid said he was “optimistic and confident in the Sudanese people’s ability to build their path to democracy.”

“Our concerns are legitimate, we are coming out of a 30-year dictatorship,” he added.

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