The plight of two million Christians in Sudan has turned dire amid the ongoing civil war between former military leaders General Abdel Fatta al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
Sudan ranks among the worst countries globally for Christian persecution, with little concern shown by either faction in the two-year conflict for their safety.
As reported by the Christian watchdog Open Doors, at least 150,000 Christians have been killed in clashes between Burhan’s Sudanese Army and Dagalo’s Rapid Support Forces. Furthermore, around 15 million Christians have been displaced, leading to what is described as the “world’s largest evacuation crisis.”
Open Doors cautioned that neither side shows sympathy towards Christians, and the chaos has given Islamic extremists a chance to target them more easily.
Amid a significant hunger crisis, Christians face discrimination, resulting in a lack of support from their communities. While churches could have played a role in providing aid, many are too frightened to help, according to Open Doors.
Fox News spoke with prominent Sudanese church leaders who corroborated this grim view of the situation.
“When NGOs attempt to distribute food, the government dictates who receives assistance—often excluding minorities. In some instances, Christians are told, ‘Unless you abandon your faith, you will not receive food,'” they explained.
Church leaders have raised alarms about the dire conditions for Christians in Elfasher, which has been under siege by the RSF since April 2024. A UN report from August stated that the RSF deliberately targets private homes and refugee camps there.
For a prolonged period, residents have resorted to consuming animal feed and grass, as access to staple foods like wheat and rice has been cut off. Compounding the situation, there’s a dire lack of medicine.
“We are constantly praying for mercy,” a leader noted, emphasizing that in many areas, group prayers at home have been prohibited.
Mariam Waba, a research analyst at the Foundation for Democracy Defence, told Fox News that both the Sudanese Army and the RSF are perpetrating violence against Christians through arbitrary detentions and church demolitions. The RSF particularly has a history of threatening Christians with murder or forced conversions.
Waba highlighted that the RSF is a direct descendant of the Janjaweed militia, infamous for its ethnic cleansing campaigns in Darfur two decades ago, and this legacy is resurfacing.
The Janjaweed is regarded as one of the most brutal paramilitary forces in history, arising from an alliance between mercenaries from Libya and Sudan during the 1980s. As a Sudanese civil war broke out, the demand for such forces increased, leading to horrifying acts of violence and oppression.
Notable for their “ethnic cleansing,” the Janjaweed operated with tacit support from the Sudanese army, using aerial bombardments to create chaos while attacking villages. They left regions devastated, burning crops and poisoning wells to prevent returnees.
The RSF continues this horrific legacy, adopting similar tactics and personnel, actively targeting Christians since the onset of the civil war in 2023. Human rights organizations report that RSF fighters dismiss churches under the belief that they hoard valuable goods.
Sky News correspondents recently reported feelings of fear and despair among refugees in the camps around El Fasher, where residents recounted instances of “torture, rape, and forced starvation.”
According to their reports, the camps suffer from severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies, as the RSF maintains a strict lockdown, attacking anyone attempting to deliver aid and even constructing barriers around the city.
Refugees described how RSF fighters capture individuals trying to flee and hold them for ransom. If families are unable to pay, captives face torture, sexual violence, and, in some cases, murder. Tribal group members, in particular, are subjected to especially harsh treatment.
One elderly woman spoke about the atrocities she witnessed, recounting, “They killed my children and my step-sons. They turned my grandchildren into orphans. Two of my sons are gone.” She lamented the sexual violence inflicted on her young daughters, who felt forced to escape from shame.
Dr. Afaf Isaac, the director of a refugee camp, expressed her emotional turmoil after hearing the horrifying stories from those she is aiding. Having fled Khartoum at the start of the civil war, she carries the weight of her experiences, including the involvement of her husband with the RSF.
“I hold the international community accountable. How can they discuss human rights while ignoring the plight we face here? Where has humanity gone?” she questioned.
For Christians living in SAF-controlled areas under Burhan, conditions are hardly better. Reports indicate that a church in a part of Khartoum controlled by the SAF was demolished without justification. Furthermore, Christians have faced arrests by Burhan’s officials over flimsy allegations resembling extortion.
Rafat Sameer, chairman of the Sudan Evangelical Community Council, has accused Burhan’s government of using the civil war as a pretext to systematically dismantle churches and erase Christianity from Khartoum, as they deny permissions for repairs to damaged places of worship.
“The Urban Planning Department has ruled that no repairs or reconstructions can occur without explicit permission, which means many of our churches are left in ruins,” he stated.
Samir, now in exile and working with Open Doors, remarked that Sudanese Christians endure “multiple layers of persecution,” targeting their religious beliefs as well as their ethnic identities.
“For Christians in Sudan, life has always posed challenges. The Islamic government is inherently intolerant of other religions, ethnicities, or languages,” he added.
