Sudan Scholars Association split from HAC marks end of religious guardianship era
May 14, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan Scholars Association has welcomed a decision to sever its administrative and organizational ties with the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), marking a pivotal shift for a body long viewed as a religious pillar of the former regime.
The decision, which many observers describe as more than a mere administrative procedure, signals a fundamental turning point. The Association announced it is embarking on a new phase focused on missionary work, freed from the regulatory constraints of the HAC.
Since 2005, the religious body has been legally classified as a “civil society organization” or “voluntary association” under the HAC umbrella. However, the Commission issued Administrative Decree No. 1 this May, formalizing the split and refusing to re-register the Association under the 2006 Voluntary and Humanitarian Work Act.
The HAC justified the move by stating that the Association’s religious and missionary activities contradict the fundamental principles of humanitarian work. It specifically pointed to the Association’s statutes, which include goals such as the establishment of an Islamic state—objectives deemed inconsistent with the neutral and impartial nature of humanitarian aid.
A foundational procedural error
Legal expert Moez Hadra told Sudan Tribune that registering the Sudan Scholars Association with the HAC was a procedural and legal error from the outset. He argued that the Commission is not the competent authority for religious bodies, which should naturally fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments.
Hadra noted that the Association exploited the political vacuum following the 2021 military coup to push through its registration and later attempted to register in Port Sudan after the current war broke out. He characterized the recent cancellation of its registration as a necessary correction, adding that its very name implies a monopoly on religion and scholarship that should be legally addressed.
“The decision not to register them is entirely sound,” Hadra said. “They are a religious institution with no link to relief work. Their name should be amended to end this monopoly on religious affairs, and they must be registered under the appropriate laws at the Ministry of Religious Affairs.”
Political implications and the legacy of control
Dr Mohamed Idris, a professor of political science, described the refusal to register the Association as a “quintessentially political decision.” He suggested that Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has begun distancing the state from the legacy of the Islamic Movement and the religious guardianship of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Idris argued that the Association acted as a watchdog over the thoughts and visions of the Sudanese people, serving as a barrier erected by the former regime to colour religion with political interests. He recalled fatwas issued by the body during the September 2013 protests and the December 2018 revolution, which criminalized dissent against the ruler.
“The blurring of lines between religious bodies and humanitarian commissions was a tactic used by the former regime to pass its agenda,” Idris said. He called for the body to be dissolved entirely and for its leaders to be held accountable for past interpretations that supported authoritarianism.
Internal disputes and legal challenges
Despite its public welcome of the split, the Association’s leadership is currently embroiled in internal legal battles. A formal statement signed by Secretary-General Khalid Adam Sheikha confirmed that the body had filed a legal challenge on April 12, 2026, against internal elections held earlier that month, claiming the organizers lacked the necessary mandate.
The HAC’s refusal to renew the registration was reportedly a response to a request submitted by a rival faction within the Association led by Ibrahim Mohamed Sadiq al-Karouri and Ali Issa Abdel Rahman. Sheikha’s statement emphasized that the Commission’s administrative decree did not address the substance of their legal appeal.
A source within the Association, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained that the previous status forced a consultative religious body to be treated like a relief organization. This restricted its movement due to strict HAC regulations regarding funding and activities. The source indicated that the Association might now pursue a dedicated law to establish itself as an independent sovereign body.
The “political fatwa” machine
Hatem al-Sanhouri, a lawyer specializing in the laws governing associations, offered a harsher critique. He argued that even without formal registration, the Sudan Scholars Association has functioned as a religious arm for Islamist power, specializing in “ready-made fatwas” designed to prolong oppression and terrorize political opponents.
Al-Sanhouri claimed the body provided a false legislative cover for the regime that ruled Sudan for thirty years. He compared its structure to influential centres in the Iranian system, transnational centres of influence that use religion to consolidate tyranny.
“Dissolving this entity was essential to dismantling the infrastructure of the former regime’s empowerment,” al-Sanhouri said. He stressed the need to recover public funds and hold those involved in violating the dignity of the Sudanese people accountable under the guise of religious scholarship.