Al-Hilu was born in Al-Faydh Umm Abdullah,
South Kordofan. He was born, raised and educated in the
Nuba Mountains. He studied economics at the
University of Khartoum, and graduated in 1979. He is considered one of the most successful SPLA/M commanders in the history of the SPLA and worked with Sudanese revolutionary leader
John Garang with the stated goal of creating a
Sudan that is democratic, fair and free to all
Sudanese. In 2011 he lost the election for governor of South Kordofan to
Ahmed Haroun in a poll rejected by the SPLA as rigged. He had been fighting the
Sudanese Armed Forces in the
Second Sudanese Civil War and the
South Kordofan conflict. In mid-2017, the SPLM–N split into two factions, the SPLM–N (al-Hilu) and SPLM–N (Agar), over disagreements on secularization. Following the
Sudanese revolution, he declared a temporary unilateral ceasefire "to give the ongoing peace talks an opportunity for success", which was later further extended, during which he reached an agreement with the
transitional government to separate religion and state and not discriminate against anyone's ethnicity on 3 September 2020. He has also called to remove former president
Omar al-Bashir's militias and to reorganize the Sudanese military, in addition to
self-determination in areas controlled by his faction. On 28 March 2021, al-Hilu signed a peace agreement with the Sudanese government in
Juba, South Sudan, in which it would pave the path to establish a civil, democratic federal state in Sudan, in addition to guaranteeing freedom of religion and having a single army to protect national security. During the
civil war in Sudan which began in 2023, al-Hilu was hesitant to join the
Tagadum coalition, insisting on
secular governance as a foundation for Sudan's unity and stability. He also supported initiatives to end conflict but emphasized addressing Sudan's deep-rooted issues. His forces in South Kordofan and Blue Nile prioritized defending citizens and ensuring aid reached civilians. In February 2025, al-Hilu supported the
Rapid Support Forces (RSF)'s attempt to form a
parallel government in
Nairobi,
Kenya. In July 2025, he was proclaimed the deputy leader of a governing alliance headed by the RSF's leader
Hemedti. == Notes ==