Sudan: Government and rebel group sign agreement

As reported by Al-Jazeera on 28 March 2021, a "Declaration of Principles" has been signed by the Transitional Government of Sudan and the Sudan People"s Liberation Movement/Army - North (SPLM/A-N). The agreement was brokered by the South Sudan Mediation Committee and signed in Juba. It "outlines priorities including the unification of armed forces and the establishment of a democratic, secular state with freedom of religion". Yonas Dembele, World Watch Research (WWR) analyst comments: "For many years, the Christian community in Sudan has faced government discrimination and intimidation. There were arrests, church demolitions and many Christians were attacked indiscriminately in areas of conflict between government forces and rebel groups. Since the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir, the Transitional Government has been trying to improve the human rights situation by scrapping all laws that violate human rights. For example, in July 2020, the government scrapped apostasy laws (BBC News, 12 July 2020). The move towards establishing a secular state with religious freedom is of major importance for the minority Christian community and followers of other beliefs who long suffered discrimination under al-Bashir"s rule."