SUDAN: 18 CHRISTIANS ARRESTED

​​Christians HAVE BEEN caught up in the fighting between the the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). These ARMIES have been fighting for control of the country and recently A group of Christians have been imprisoned by the SAF for allegedly helping the RSF.

Initially, twenty-six believers were arrested on 11 October as they tried to leave Khartoum State for the River Nile State to seek refuge from the ongoing fighting in the country. Since then, eight believers have been released.

The Christians all belong to the Sudanese Church of Christ and were interrogated by the National Intelligence Division. They are all being detained in unknown army detention centres. Despite several appeals from church leaders to the government for their release, there has been no response from officials.

“Hostility facing Christians is acute”

Civil war broke out in Sudan last year. The crisis stems from a power struggle between the national army and the RSF; more than 9,000 people have been killed and nearly six million displaced. It has been labelled the world’s largest displacement crisis. 

While all citizens are caught up in the violence, local Open Doors partners working with believers say that Christians face an additional layer of suffering. “The hostility facing Christians is particularly acute outside Sudan’s capital city of Khartoum. But the epicentre of the conflict is the capital, where most Christians live. Many have been forced to flee, while those who remain may be forced, or seen to, take sides in the conflict, putting them at further risk,” says Fikiru*, an Open Doors research expert for East Africa.

Please join us in praying for the safety and release of this group of Christians. Prayer points below.