Could Sudan become a country with religious freedom for all? That would be good news, indeed! On September 11, Sudanese Bishop Andudu Adam Alnail and I discussed the latest, greatest change for better in a changing Sudan.
Bishop Alnail, the Bishop of Kadugli and Nuba Mountains Diocese of the Episcopal Church of Sudan talked to Ernie Didot of GAFCON about the shift of Sudan away from an Islamist State. (video below) GAFCON stands for Global Anglican Future Conference. Bishop Andudu and I co-lead GAFCON’s Suffering Church Network and we both hope and pray that the changes in Sudan will mean the end of the suffering of Sudan’s Christians.
Didot was joined by co-interviewer, Joshua Ssali, from Uganda. And in that typical “small world” fashion, it turned out that he had gone to university (Uganda Christian University) with Grace Akallo. Grace and I co-authored Girl Soldier: A Story of Hope for Northern Uganda’s Children (Chosen Books, 2007).
The topic of our discussion was the agreement for separation of religion and state and other rights included in a Joint Declaration of Principles. The agreement was signed by the Prime Minister of Sudan’s Transitional Government, Abdalla Hamdok, and the Commander in Chief of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement, General Abdalaziz Adam Alhilu on September 3. As I wrote in my recent article for Juicy Ecumenism, this was “an unexpected move to advance religious freedom in Sudan.” This agreement guarantees rights “that until recently, most Sudanese could only dream of attaining.”
And that’s not just my opinion! Listen to what Bishop Alnail says in the interview. Particularly, be sure to catch when he says that there has been “nothing like this in Sudan for 500 years.” Amazing. The last time that the Christians, and Sudan’s indigenous black African people groups had these rights was when there were three Christian kingdoms in Sudan!
Please pray that all will go well, that this Declaration of Principles will continue through the stages of Sudan’s peace agreement. And pray that both Hamdok and Alhilu will stay strong (and stay healthy!) in the face of opposition. This will be a great step forward for Sudan! Praise be to God!
Comment by barbara on September 19, 2020 at 10:18 pm
That was an amazing discussion by all! Thank you so much for the leadership all of you play in bringing hope to Africa, especially Sudan. i learned a lot. Well done!