If We Want to Turn the Page on War, We Must Close the Doors to Exclusion

Adel Al-Rifai Abu Al-Hassan
Throughout its history, Sudan has witnessed many political and military upheavals. Yet the war the country is experiencing today differs from everything that has come before it in its scale, brutality, and the extent of the destruction it has inflicted on people, infrastructure and state institutions.
This war has left deep wounds in the nation and its society, and our country will need years of serious work to recover — economically, institutionally and socially, as well as to restore its civilisational role. The present phase, therefore, is not a time for political manoeuvring or settling scores; it is a time to save a nation and rebuild a state.
This is precisely why the continued rhetoric of exclusion, which begins with the word “except”, is so dangerous: except this party, that group or this particular component of society. It is as though excluding others could somehow provide a path towards building a stable nation. Yet the experience of nations has demonstrated that states are not built through exclusion, but through law, justice and institutions.
Sudan today faces a simple reality: the house has been damaged, and its door has been broken. The priority is not to decide whom we should prevent from entering, but first to repair the door, restore the house and establish the rules governing entry. The national task now is to rebuild the state, not to open new fronts of disagreement.
The foremost priority remains completing the restoration of the state’s full sovereignty over its territory, establishing security and stability, and enabling state institutions to resume their proper functions. Before we disagree over the details of the future, we must first ensure that there is a functioning state capable of managing that future.
Once the state has been stabilised, the responsibility becomes building the next phase on clear foundations: establishing the necessary policies and selecting capable Sudanese professionals to manage this period, free from both exclusion and political quota-sharing. Competence, integrity and the ability to serve the country must be the determining criteria.
As for the notion of absolute independence in public service, this requires reconsideration. Every individual possesses a particular outlook, position and judgement, and may lean towards a certain political current or school of thought, whether or not they are formally affiliated with it. What matters is not claiming complete neutrality, but demonstrating an unwavering commitment to the national interest and the ability to administer the state professionally and responsibly.
The priority, therefore, is not to keep repeating the word “except”, but to answer the fundamental questions that will determine Sudan’s future: How should the next phase be managed? What form should it take? How long should it last? And what policies will lead the country towards free and fair elections in which the people have the final say?
Historical responsibility and our national duty now require that all efforts be directed toward turning this ordeal into an opportunity: repairing the social fabric, strengthening peaceful coexistence, rising above the wounds of the past, and achieving national reconciliation and recovery.
Peoples that have endured major wars and tragedies have been able to rise again when they chose to make their suffering the beginning of a new chapter and placed the national interest above revenge and the settling of scores. Despite its brutality, war can provide an opportunity to reassess the past and build a more stable future.
Sudan has paid an enormous price: lives have been lost, millions have been displaced, property has been destroyed or lost, and the country’s heritage and history have suffered extensive damage. In the face of such immense losses, continuing division will serve only to reproduce the crisis.
The responsibility for rebuilding the state does not rest with institutions alone. It also falls upon the Sudanese people, who have demonstrated extraordinary patience and resilience throughout this ordeal. Just as they stood in defence of their homeland at a moment of danger, they must continue to play their part in safeguarding the state-building process, holding its institutions to account, and participating in shaping the country’s future.
No one owns Sudan alone, nor does anyone have a monopoly on the right to determine its future. The country belongs to all its people; sovereignty rests with the people, and genuine legitimacy can only derive from their free will, expressed through constitutional and legal means.
This may seem like a simple and self-evident principle, but it lies at the very heart of state-building:
A nation is not built on the word “except”; it is built on law, justice, institutions and the will of its people.
If we want to turn the page on war once and for all, we must close the doors to exclusion and open the doors of the state — a state in which everyone is equal before the law and where the national interest takes precedence over every other consideration.
Nations that learn from their tragedies rise again. Those that reproduce the causes of their divisions remain trapped in the same vicious cycle, no matter how much the faces and slogans may change.

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