Sudan (MNN)—The ongoing civil war in Sudan, which began in April of 2023, has worsened conditions for the country’s Christians. In 2022, the country was ranked the 13th worst for Christian persecution according to Open Doors. Now, it’s number five on their list.
The civil war between the Sudanese Armed Force and Rapid Support Forces has killed tens of thousands—with reports of indiscriminate attacks on civilians—and displaced more than 12 million people. The country has been at the top of International Rescue Committee’s Emergency Watchlist, which identifies countries at the highest risk of new or worsening humanitarian crises, for two years in a row. The resulting chaos and instability has opened opportunities for extremists to target, abduct, and kill Sudanese Christians, who lack support and face discrimination within their communities.
“The challenges are huge,” says John, a Gospel worker focused on Sudan. “Not all the areas in Sudan are safe for Christians, especially for those who convert their faith.”
Sudanese Christians who have come to faith from a Muslim background face severe backlash. Even once the civil war ends, John is unsure how leaders will treat Christians in Sudan, with neither side of the conflict sympathetic toward them.
“They say on platforms, ‘Yes, we are all one,’ but the actual is not like that at all,” says John.
Despite all this, he is seeing a growing openness toward Christian messages of hope from individuals.
“Before the war, they can’t accept us as Sudanese Christians. They refuse to hear us. But when they saw us after the war, how we are dealing with the situation, the message that God says to them—’do not be afraid, just focus on me’—they start to figure out what this is about.”
As John describes one individual’s perspective: “We don’t know you before like this. We hate you before—but no, you are good people. We want to know more about Jesus.”
John dreams of a day where Christians in Sudan can share their faith with their families and are treated as brothers by their countrymen, regardless of religion.
He asks for prayers for the safety of Christians in north Sudan, and for ongoing passion amongst evangelists working to reach the area with the gospel.
“The challenges are so difficult, so many,” says John, “but we see that this is for God—we will do it.”
*Pseudonym
Header photo is a representative stock image courtesy of Yusuf Yassir via Unsplash.
