Peace Talks Give Hope for a Better Future

Peace Talks Lead to Agreement on Impartiality of the State with Regard to Religious Affairs

The current interim government under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the main rebel group SPLM-N met for peace talks last weekend. An important component of these talks is the rebel group’s desire for Sudan to become a secular state. This is intended to guarantee religious freedom.
These demands were not taken into account in the earlier peace talks. Now the transitional government has signed an agreement with representatives of the rebel groups that recognizes the state’s impartiality in religious matters. Thus, the separation of state and religion was approved.

Agreement on Separation of State and Religion: An Important Step for Peace in Sudan

This agreement is seen as an important step for further peace talks – the country has been longing for peace and freedom for years. For decades, there have been repeated battles between rebel groups and the previous government under al-Bashir, who was deposed in 2019, especially in the province of South Kordofan.
The civilian population in the Nuba Mountains has suffered particularly from the fighting and has been forced to leave their villages and seek shelter in the mountains. There, people live under difficult living conditions and without a functioning infrastructure. Lack of food, low water reserves and poor medical care make life in the mountains a struggle for survival.

Therefore, Cap Anamur has been providing medical care in the Nuba Mountains with its own hospital since 1997 and treats over 200,000 people annually.

Bernd Göken, Managing Director of Cap Anamur, comments

“I no longer thought it possible that these important peace negotiations would take place. It is already something very special, even though it is not yet a peace treaty, of course. This agreement is a historic step, now nothing stands in the way of negotiations for a comprehensive peace agreement. In particular, because of the difficult humanitarian situation, we hope for a significant improvement in the health and education system in the Nuba Mountains. Cap Anamur has been working in this region for over 20 years and the new perspectives that a peace treaty gives will improve the living conditions of the people there in the long term. They are looking forward to a better future after all the years of conflict. A lot has happened in Sudan in the past year, and now the the people in the Nuba Mountains can finally benefit from the developments. Both us and the population are looking forward to a new, better future.”