Sudan’s ongoing crisis for Christians

One year after a civil war plunged the country into chaos, believers in Sudan continue to try to live out their faith despite the danger.

Sudan is an East African country with a tumultuous history.

In 2019, street protests and a military coup ended the near three-decade rule of President Hassan Omar al Bashir. A joint military-civilian government was formed that began implementing sweeping changes to allow for democratic government. Finally, there was real hope that freedom and openness were coming to Sudan. And, since the country was often in the top 10 of the World Watch List, there was optimism that the lives of Christians would improve.

However, in October 2021, the army of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) overthrew the government in another coup. The RSF, also known as the Janwajeed, is a militia group notorious for committing atrocities in Darfur. Two years later in April 2023, there was an effort to bring the RSF into the regular armed forces, sparking anew conflict: the RSF against the national military.

It's been a year since this conflict began, and it’s created a massive humanitarian crisis. Human rights abuses are widespread—accusations of ethnic cleansing, sexual violence and street executions abound. The United Nations’ World Food Programme reports they are “unable to get sufficient emergency food assistance to desperate communities in Sudan who are trapped by fighting because of the relentless violence and interference by the warring parties. Right now, 90%of people facing emergency levels of hunger in Sudan are stuck in areas that are largely inaccessible to [us].”

And for Christians, the situation is even more stark— Sudan  is No. 8 on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List, and nothing has gotten better.

A church on the run

Fikiru*, an Open Doors research expert for East Africa, says that the ongoing war has brought suffering to Sudanese citizens in general, but especially to Christians who are further marginalized because of their faith.

“Though all Sudanese suffer because of the war, Christians experience exceptional hardship because they do not receive the same support from communities,” he says. “Our contacts recently reported on Christians sheltering in a church or other places where they do not mix with the rest of the population because if they do shelter with the rest of the population, they are discriminated against for being Christian. And it becomes even more difficult for them to survive. If there is relief aid being distributed, Christians do not receive equal opportunity to receive the aid because of their faith.

“Much of the church in Sudan, who could be able to help with distribution and taking care of vulnerable people, are on the run.”

The hostility facing Christians is particularly acute outside Sudan’s capital city of Khartoum. But the epicenter of the conflict is the capital, where most Christians live. Many have been forced to flee, while those who remain may be forced to take sides in the conflict, putting them at further risk.

According to Fikiru, Christians who have fled often stay a week or two before they need to flee again as fighting erupts unexpectedly. “Displaced Christians are constantly on the move,” he says. “So, some of them have to travel by foot for hours and hours to a relatively better and safer place. To stay in the place where there is fighting is dangerous and to flee is dangerous …”

Many Christians have been attacked indiscriminately in areas such as Darfur, the Blue Nile and the Nuba Mountains region, where government forces and rebel groups are in conflict. The levels of pressure and violence faced by Christians who are ethnic Africans or converts from a Muslim background are particularly high.

“It’s important to note that Christians do not support either general, nor side with a specific tribal group because they believe that neither will have a positive outcome for them,” Fikiru points out. “Christians are largely from the African tribes, but there are Christians from Arab backgrounds. Because of this, Christians remain largely neutral in this context. Their hope is that should there be negotiation for peace, the settlement will be supported by the international community and that there will be an emphasis of freedom of religion and other basic human rights.”

Open Doors urges the international community to take prompt action to ensure immediate access to humanitarian assistances to millions of affected people, while making sure the church is not left behind in the effort. Additionally, Open Doors urges a return to peace and stability through negotiations so that the crisis in Sudan does not turn into a regional disaster from which a return seems nearly impossible.

But of course, the most important thing we can do to pray. The situation in Sudan seems overwhelming and hopeless—but we know we serve a God who does not leave His people in despair.