T he sight of the former president of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, sitting caged inside a courtroom in Khartoum on Monday had an absurdly theatrical aspect to it. For nearly 30 years Mr. al-Bashir pranced arrogantly about, overcoming political opposition and surviving global condemnation after his 2009 indictment for war crimes. The old man in his white gallabia and floppy turban seemed unperturbed, hardly aware of the bars around him. Understandably, perhaps.

Sudan’s Transitional Military Council, the generals who served and eventually replaced the dictator, made it clear that while he faced charges for corruption and money laundering, Mr. al-Bashir will not be handed over to the International Criminal Court or stand trial for human rights abuses or war crimes.

Whether justice will be delivered, only time will tell. In a sense, what Mr. al-Bashir’s trial really tells us is that Sudan now must come to terms with its new reality and understand the magnitude of the opportunity that lies before it. Sudanese need to think about how we can achieve the full potential that this moment in history offers.

The power-sharing agreement signed on Saturday between the transitional military council and the Forces for Freedom and Change, the opposition civilian coalition, is a huge step forward. A Sovereign Council, which includes six civilians and five generals, will run the country till elections are held in 2022. The military and the civilians will rotate the chairmanship of the council.