150 Churches Attacked, Destroyed since Sudan War Began
- Milton Quintanilla CrosswalkHeadlines Contributor
- Updated Apr 22, 2024
More than 150 churches have been attacked and destroyed in light of the war in Sudan that began last April.
The conflict, which is between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force, has resulted in over 13,000 estimated deaths. According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, houses of worship and other houses of worship have been targeted by armed forces throughout the conflict.
“International humanitarian law deems houses of worship and religious sites as sacrosanct, even during armed conflict. Despite Article 53 protections, houses of worship and religious sites continue to be impermissibly damaged and destroyed in Sudan,” Commissioner Mohamed Magid said in a statement.
As reported by Morning Star News, RSF militants set an Evangelical church in Wad Madani on fire back in January. The church, which was first built in 1939, was the largest religious structure in Gezira State. Additionally, the RSF attacked a Coptic Christian monastery in Wad Madani and turned it into a military base.
In May 2023, armed assailants fatally shot four people, including a priest and his son, inside a church. The assailants also stabbed the church guard before looting the building.
During a raid in Omdurman,Hidar Al Amin, a member of the Sudanese Presbyterian Evangelical Church, was killed by RSF militants.
As La Croix International reported earlier this month, Evangelical Pastor Kowa Shamal barely escaped death after RSF militants ordered him to renounce his faith. Shamal’s refusal, however, resulted in a physical confrontation that ended with the murder of his 23-year-old nephew for not removing the cross he wore around his neck.
Earlier this month, U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, and USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman attended the International Humanitarian Conference on Sudan marking the one-year anniversary of the war. During the conference, Deputy Administrator Coleman announced $100 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Sudan, adding to a total of over $1 billion in U.S. government humanitarian assistance since October 2023.
In recent months, there has been a significant increase in the destruction of religious sites throughout the war. In response, the USCIRF had urged government and non-state actors to protect these sites under international law protecting religious freedom.
The war has affected Sudan’s Christian minority, which is at least 2 million or 4.5 percent of the country’s overall population of more than 43 million, The Christian Post reports.
According to Open Doors 2024 World Watch List, Sudan is ranked No. 8 when it comes to countries facing Christian persecution.
Image credit: ©Getty Images/Phototreat
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
