Sudan’s September Surprise: Separation of Religion & State

Faith Mcdonnell

Institute of Religion and Democracy

On Thursday, September 3, His Excellency Abdalla Hamdok, Prime Minister of the Republic of Sudan, and General Abdalaziz Adam Alhilu, Chairman and Commander in Chief of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-North made an unexpected move to advance religious freedom in Sudan. They signed an agreement guaranteeing rights that until recently, most Sudanese could only dream of attaining.
Hamdok and Alhilu signed a declaration of principles that included:
Recognition and accommodation for Sudan’s racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity
Complete political and social equality of all people guaranteed by law
A democratic state with separation of religion and state or — alternatively — the right to self-determination.
Self-protection, until separation of religion and state is actualized, for the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile State
Cessation of hostilities on both sides
Appropriate and fair sharing of power and wealth among all the peoples of Sudan included in the constitution
This joint agreement for separation of religion and state is the most significant advance for religious freedom to date in the new (post-Bashir) Sudan. Both Prime Minister Hamdok and General Alhilu deserve congratulations and thanks.

There have been a series of incremental changes in Sudan since the first big one. That would be, of course, when the former President/dictator Omar al Bashir was ousted on April 11, 2019 after 30 years of ruling. All those changes have been steps in the right direction. But none was as history-making as the one ironed out by the PM and the General in this September Surprise.
Some, including Western diplomats, prefer peace talks and deals to go according to their plans. They were impatient with General Alhilu’s refusal to sign previous agreements. They were also impatient with General Alhilu and with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North during the nine plus years of war with Bashir’s regime.
The SPLA-N would not observe a unilateral “cessation of hostilities” while Khartoum was still dropping bombs on them! The SPLA-N and their associate opposition forces protected the civilians of the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile State from both the Sudan Armed Forces and their associates, jihadist militias. Bashir finally fell because of the sacrifices of the Sudanese people, particularly from the marginalized areas, and of these brave and relentless soldiers and their Commander in Chief.
So the Joint Agreement signed by these two men of integrity and wisdom is not just a September Surprise because it is so surprising that Sudan has reached this point of freedom. It was a surprise to diplomats and negotiators engaged in peace talks in Juba! A Nuba friend chuckled, “Nobody saw it coming.” Good thing, too, because they probably would have tried to prevent it.
Prime Minister Hamdok, former Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA, is working hard to transform the nation. Hamdok, who UNECA staff described as a “diplomat, a humble man and a brilliant and disciplined mind,” has expressed his desire since the new transitional government of Sudan began that he wanted the nation to have equality for all.
General Alhilu has been a great asset to Hamdok. It’s hard to believe that anybody but Abdalaziz Adam Alhilu could have pulled this off! Or would have the nerve — or even the desire — to even try. This move — declaring Sudan “shall not establish an official religion” — is audacious. It is being celebrated by millions and millions across Sudan. But it is sure to be extremely unpopular with the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists. Which is why it took men like Hamdok and Alhilu to make the move.
Alhilu has insisted during the years of on and off peace talks that the Nuba will not acquiesce to a Sharia state. They must have individual, social, and political freedom within Sudan — or, failing that, their right to self-determination.
Religion is the lynchpin, but discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and culture are also dismantled in this Joint Agreement. And not just for the so-called “Two Areas,” (the elites’ way of referring to the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile State). Alhilu and Hamdok have declared this freedom for Darfur, for the Beja, for the center, for all of Sudan!
The Nuba, and Sudan’s other marginalized people suffered for decades under cultural extermination and genocide. They staved off complete annihilation through both brilliant combat and political strategies. And they were adamant in their refusal to embrace an “all inclusive Sudan” that is just shorthand for the status quo of Arab and Islamic supremacy.
Now, going forward with the new Joint Agreement, those who are most desirous of provisions in it are realists. The Joint Agreement states unequivocally that if equality, justice, secularism, and all those great qualities do not materialize, there is another option: self-determination. A press release from the Nuba Mountains Regional government upon the successful signing confirms this while looking forward to “a democratic state that recognizes the diversity and national identity of Sudan.”
The Nuba statement concludes with the SPLA-N’s familiar, both realistic and hopeful declaration: The struggle continues and victory is certain! A nation according to the principles in the Joint Declaration is a nation whose time has come. And the struggle to make it free and democratic is worthwhile. It would be good for everyone to remember that — Sudanese, Americans, and all.