Sudan bans FGM, allows women to travel with children without permission as it breaks away from strict Islamist rules

The Northern African country has also passed a law that allows non-Muslims to drink alcohol. They are now allowed to drink, import, and sell alcohol.

This is a reversal of almost 40 years of hardline Islamist policies which limited the freedom and rights of women and non-Muslims.

The new reforms come after long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir was ousted last year following protests.

Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari said told the media that “we [will] drop all the laws violating the human rights in Sudan.”

Meanwhile, the government has also scrapped public flogging.

Even though non-Muslim are now allowed to consume alcohol in private, Mr Abdulbari said the ban on Muslim drinking remains.

He added that non-Muslims could still be punished if they are caught drinking with Muslims.

According to the Minister, the government wants to protect the rights of the country’s non-Muslims, who constitute about 3% of the population.

“We are keen to demolish any kind of discrimination that was enacted by the old regime and to move toward equality of citizenship and a democratic transformation,” Sudan Tribune reports him as saying.

Sudan has practiced strict Islamist laws for several years. This brought about a long-running civil war which eventually led to independence for South Sudan, where the majority of people are Christian or follow traditional religions.