In a powerful speech marking the official launch of the Leadership Council of the Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS), SPLM-N leader Gen. Abdel Aziz al-Hilu declared that the alliance represents a strategic rupture with Sudan’s failed political past, offering instead a vision for a “new Sudan”—free of elite rule, Islamist dominance, and civil war.
“There will be no more forced unity. The new Sudan must be built on free will,” al-Hilu said in what was widely described as a historic address.
Al-Hilu described TASIS—an alliance of rebel groups, political factions, and civil society—as a deliberate response to the collapse of the post-independence Sudanese state, which he said was built on structural violence, racial hierarchy, and elite exploitation.
“We are not seeking posts or fragile power-sharing deals. We are working to dismantle the old state and build a new social contract based on equality and justice for all Sudanese,” he declared.
War on Islamism, not just a political fight
Al-Hilu made clear that TASIS is not just a political vehicle but a resistance front against decades of political Islam, accusing Sudan’s Islamist movement of using religion to justify genocide, marginalization, and state looting. He cited the deaths of more than 3 million people—first in South Sudan and later in Darfur, South Kordofan, and other regions—as evidence of systemic crimes committed in the name of religion.
“The Islamists killed millions in the name of God. This time, we are declaring war on them. The new Sudan will not be built on exploitation, but on justice and dignity.”
Warning against tokenism in Port Sudan
Al-Hilu also criticized the SAF junta in Port Sudan for appointing a Nuba officer, Gen. Hassan Daoud Kabroun, as defense minister. He called it a cynical attempt to fracture the SPLM-N’s strong base in South Kordofan and deceive Nuba communities into supporting a regime still aligned with Islamists.
“This is a symbolic post with no real power, used to mobilize the Nuba for war,” he warned. “The goal is to divide the people of the mountains and undermine the popular base of the SPLM-N.”
A new social contract
Tracing Sudan’s crisis back to colonial-era divisions and post-independence elitism, al-Hilu argued that TASIS offers a return to foundational questions: Who owns the state? How is it structured? Who benefits?
He emphasized that TASIS is committed to:
- Dismantling Islamist networks and paramilitaries,
- Building a professional, non-partisan national army,
- Creating a secular, decentralized democratic state,
- Upholding “Sudanism” (Sudanawiyya) as a civic identity that embraces ethnic and cultural diversity.
He said the SPLM-N had signed multiple community peace pacts in the Nuba Mountains and South Kordofan, and that TASIS would follow that model across the country—replacing ethnic conflict with shared governance.
A final rallying cry
Al-Hilu ended his speech with a call for all “forces of conscience” in Sudan—armed and unarmed—to join TASIS and help forge a nation that welcomes all its citizens.
“We are not fighting for temporary gains. We are fighting to build a Sudan that belongs to everyone. The struggle continues, and victory is certain.”
