Sudan: An Anthem for Those Who Do Not Surrender and Are Never Defeated

Sudan: An Anthem for Those Who Do Not Surrender and Are Never Defeated

Amgad Fareid Eltayeb

We are neither defeated, nor broken, nor vanquished, rather we are fighting a war imposed upon us—one that kills our nation, destroys our country, and displaces our people.

But we will never surrender.

For this land is ours—sacred, proud, and nourished by the blood of our ancestors, who inscribed their boundless love for it across the pages of history.

The bombs may tear apart our clear skies,

The inferno, sweeping from the West and the East, may scorch the foundations of our ancient cities.

They may wound us—again and again—by destroying parts of our country's infrastructure, plundering its resources, and striking at its capabilities…

They may terrify our children with the thunder of missiles, cannons, and bullets…

They may displace us and steal from us away to death, one by one, loved and precious ones whom we cherished for a future brighter than this present day.

But what they will never succeed in doing is breaking the resolute will of our valiant people.

Just as our people stood firm against the army of their fascist brutality as it marched across Sudan—spreading terror from Geneina to Khartoum, to the plains of Al-Jazira and Kordofan—they will not be broken by the cowardly terror from the skies, waged by those who strike from afar, lurking in the shadows.

Nor will they be defeated by the fevered dreams of those consumed by the maladies and lusts of power, or by the vile madness of domination and tyranny.

Their deceptive narratives and their spread of lies will avail them nothing.

Nor will their cunning political games or twisted logic.

The people of Sudan have come, they have seen, and they will triumph.

Veni, vidi, vici.

And our people are stronger and greater than the enemy could ever have imagined.

This is the nation that gave birth to Piankhi, Taharqa, Amanirenas, Ajib Al-Manjalk, Sultan Tirab, Farah Wad Taktouk, Mohammed Ahmed Al-Mahdi, Al-Ta'ayshi, Osman Digna, Al-Nujumi, Al-Nur Angara, Ali Dinar, Ali Abdul Latif, Abdul Fadil Al-Maz, Al-Azhari, Al-Mahjoub, Ahmed Al-Qurashi, Ali Fadl, Ahmed Khair, Matar, Kisha, Osman Makawi, and Mohammed Siddiq.

This is the land of Mahira bint Abboud, Rabha Al-Kinaneya, Azza Mohammed Abdullah, Alsareera Maki, Khalda Zahir, Zarwi Sarkisian, Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim, Fatima Talib, Buthaina Khidr Maki, Malikat Al-Dar, Hawa Al-Tagtaga, Leila Al-Maghrabi, Al-Balabel, Amna Badri, and Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq.

This is the land of Khalil Farah, Hassan Attiya, Omar Al-Banna, Atiq, Surur, Kroma, Asha Al-Falatiya, Tayeb Salih, Al-Tijani Yusuf Bashir, Salah Ahmed Ibrahim, Mohammed Abdul-Hai, Abu Dawood, Al-Atbarawi, Mahjoub Sharif, Sayed Khalifa, Al-Kabli, Sheikh Al-Burai, Mohammed Al-Makki Ibrahim, Wad Al-Amin, Mustafa Sid Ahmed, and Mohammed Wardi.

This is a land of minarets, domes, churches, temples, and of kujurs, fakis, Kambla, Saqriya, and Ajku.

A land of people of God, of lovers, sinners, praise-singers, wise women, and zar priestesses.

It is the land of the honest toilers:

The workers of Bahri, the porters of Port Sudan, the farmers of Al-Jazira, the herders of Darfur.

It is the land of the pyramids of Meroe and Begrawiya,

The forests of Dinder, the dunes of Kordofan, the mountains of Marra, the deserts of Atmoor,

And the pearl of the world at the confluence of the Niles in Khartoum.

How could you possibly defeat all of this—and so much more—in this towering, proud, and majestic land?

But you are not to be blamed for not knowing it… for you will never know it.

You remain but novice tyrants.

This is our land—with its Ansar, Khatmiyya, communists, and Islamists, All of it belongs to us, and to us alone.

With our modest dreams and grand hopes, with our existential struggles within it—it belongs to us alone.

With our revolutions and our coups, our democracy and our military,

With our jubbahs, kaftans, jellabiyas, vests, turbans, shawls, veils, abugajeejas, jarjars, lawas, and even mini skirts, it belongs to us alone.

This land is ours—wholly, completely, proudly, dearly, and purely—

As pure as the waters of its Nile, the soil of its deserts, the air of its valleys, and the hearts of its people.

We will walk the path of love for this land to its very end— Unbroken by your drones, your missiles, your hordes of mercenaries, or your conspiracies.

Your agents will not defeat us,

Nor will we submit to the logic of brute force or yield to your tyranny.

Our nation's flag will remain high, fluttering in our skies—its freedom a cause to die for and to live for,

Its love a blazing torch in our hearts and we will pass it on for generations to come.

And God is the Grantor of victory.

Glory to Sudan.

Glory to the people of Sudan.