Sudan’s civil war, which erupted on April 15, 2023, is a violent power struggle between the national army and the Rapid Support Forces. Civilian deaths continue amid ongoing drone attacks, Radio Dabanga reports, and “the humanitarian situation there is rapidly deteriorating” as fighting blocks aid access.

Strikes also continue throughout Darfur State as the war rages on. Tens of thousands of people were executed in El Fasher, Darfur, in December and January. At least 6,000 people were slain in just three days.

John* partners with dozens of Sudanese church planters. “Many of them are from Darfur,” he says.

“The statistics are not statistics to them; they’re losing family, friends, and property. In the middle of that loss, they’re trusting God.”

Masalit tribal dancers at a 2014 event in Darfur, Sudan.
(Photo courtesy UNAMID via Flickr/CC)

Believers are not only trusting God but also continuing to serve Him. In the refugee camps they now call home, “Where the dominant tribe [in the camp] is Masalit from Darfur, with the greatest persecution and death, there are Masalit house churches,” John says.

“We’ve started literacy classes so they can learn to read and write their own language.”

With the help of Greater Reach Alliance, believers are making Christ known among the Masalit. Consider supporting church planters through GRA here.

“We started in 2018 with the first known two believers from the Masalit tribe,” John says.

“We’ve now graduated [28] from our school, and we have 15 [leaders] involved in (Bible) translation in their language. Our Masalit team translated The JESUS Film and Magdalena film for women.”

Fourteen graduates from GRA’s school of mission lost family and close friends in the massacre at the end of 2025. Pray they will experience the peace only Jesus can offer.

*Pseudonym

Header image is a representative AI photo created by Chat GPT. 

Fighting between rebel forces and the Sudanese army has killed more than 40,000 people since 2023 and forced nearly 15 million people to flee their homes. Yesterday, rebel forces launched a drone strike that killed 17 people – most of them girls. Drone warfare adds a dangerous dynamic to the conflict.

(Student News Agency, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons)

Plus, Sudan’s war has become a proxy conflict for nations like Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. As described here, Sudan is a critical geopolitical playing field for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE reportedly supports rebel forces, while Saudi Arabia increasingly backs Sudan’s military.

At the same time, the U.S. targets Iranian-backed militia in Sudan, applying pressure to Sudan’s army. The Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood is reportedly a significant supporter of the Sudanese Armed Forces, which called for a terrorist designation of rebel forces on Monday.

Though the war drags on, the Lord is at work amid death and despair. Church planters active in Sudan “are discovering new depths of faith and strength, and it’s a wonderful thing to see,” says John, a Gospel worker whose organization we cannot name for security purposes.

“Even though we weep with them, God is sufficient. As we walk through this war, we are seeing how sufficient God is.”

God works amid war

John’s organization operates a school of mission, which prepares new believers to make disciples in Sudan and surrounding nations.

“We’ve graduated 322 Muslim-background believers from Sudan from 89 tribes,” John says.

Plus, church planters are working with unreached people groups in 13 refugee camps. In their context, persecution and spiritual harvest go hand in hand. “The reality is they go together; we don’t find them separated in any way,” John says.

(Photo courtesy of Spoken Worldwide)

“In just two months’ time, we’ve had attempts on the [lives] of two of our leaders. One of our leaders was shot,” he continues.

Simultaneously, “there are baptisms in the face of persecution, because the Spirit of God is moving.”

How to help

Church planters risk their lives daily to share Jesus in Muslim-majority Sudan. Will you partner with them?

“Prayer is the mobilization of all that God does,” John says. “Just write Sudan somewhere, and you can say, ‘God, I was reminded of Sudan. Will You be with these precious people?’”

Use the prayer prompts listed alongside this article to guide your intercession. You can also donate to John’s organization here to ensure church planters have the resources they need to keep working.

Header image is a representative AI photo generated by ChatGPT.

John*, a Gospel worker focused on Sudan, says Rapid Support Forces show no sign of slowing. “They’re going east to Kordofan, and it’s creating a new displacement of people,” John says.

“We really need to pray. I don’t think that Sudan is on the radar; very, very few people that I talk to are even aware of how dire the situation is.”

Displacement and despair

A brutal power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023, plunging the country into widespread violence, displacement, and humanitarian collapse. See our coverage here.

(Photo courtesy of unfoldingWord)

El Fasher, the last army stronghold in Darfur, fell to the RSF in October. “Now the RSF, much like ISIS, is free within the city to do what it wants without having to fight a battle. And what they’re doing is ravaging the people,” John says.

“Rape of women is [common]; the numbers are unbelievable. And then the trafficking and selling of children has become one of the most horrible results of the RSF having control of El Fasher.”

Thousands of families are struggling to survive as their access to aid groups is limited. Access routes into Darfur and Kordofan have become increasingly restricted due to RSF control, active fighting, and the looting of aid supplies.

Furthermore, “They (survivors) are moving from El Fasher into places that make it more difficult to help them, and that has really heightened the crisis,” John says, adding that the Mara Mountains are a popular destination.

“The (church planting) teams that we had [in El Fasher] were driven out. We’re trying to contact some of them in the Mara Mountains.”

Strength for today, hope for tomorrow

Church planters living among the displaced offer the hope of Christ through trauma counselling.

“We have 28 teams in 28 refugee camps in three countries, and they are sharing Christ. I have pictures of baptisms from refugee camps, so the Church is growing. People are coming to Christ,” John says.

“The Gospel is such a threat to Islam because it gives the person inner strength, regardless of the circumstance, and it gives them hope through the circumstance. It is an incredibly powerful thing.”

Please keep Sudan in your prayers. Ask the Lord to guide and protect two church planting teams in Kordofan, the expected path of RSF advances.

“Desperation creates an openness to the Gospel. Pray that the people who were seeking wouldn’t become closed off,” John requests.

“Pray that the Christians in these camps – the people who know God, who have peace, and yet are struggling with discouragement – would be reminded of the hope that they have, and they would be motivated by the Holy Spirit to share that.”

*Pseudoynm

Header image depicts the flag of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). (MartinKassemJ120, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

According to one analyst, peace talks in Washington, D.C., give the RSF militia political cover to commit atrocities. Pastor Ibrahim, a Sudanese pastor, tells MNN, “The peace negotiations [have] always been up and down, and always end negatively.”

The United Nations and regional actors call for an immediate ceasefire in El Fasher. Civilians have no access to food, water, or medical supplies, and aid workers are unable to reach them.

More than 260,000 people – including 130,000 children – have been trapped under siege in El Fasher for over a year. “Things are beyond government control,” Pastor Ibrahim says.

“It’s a mess everywhere in Sudan, and there is a lot of pressure.”

Attributing pressure to Islamist non-military sources, Pastor Ibrahim voices concern about ceasefire resistance within Sudan. “They will not take it easy, that’s really the fear,” he says.

(Photo courtesy of unfoldingWord)

Sudan’s silver lining

Believers throughout Sudan suffer alongside their Muslim neighbors. In some cases, the Church is at the top of the radicals’ hit list. “The Church always is in the middle of the persecution,” Pastor Ibrahim says.

“[The] RSF, when they came to Khartoum, one of the places they attacked immediately was the Church.”

Yet hope remains. “The Bible tells us in the Book of Acts that persecution has been one of the elements of the growth and the extension of the Church,” Pastor Ibrahim says.

“We can testify and tell [of] the number of unreached people who are responding to the Gospel today [compared to] the times of peace.”

Pray for strength and endurance for Sudanese Christians.

“The most important prayer is that the Lord enable the churches and the ministries to stand firm and to be bold, and then seek God’s guidance and protection,” Pastor Ibrahim says.

Pray also for unity. “When we face difficulties from outside and we are divided inside, that makes it harder,” he adds.

Header image depicts a Sudanese combatant with G3 rifle. (Photo courtesy of Steve Evans/Wikimedia Commons) 

“Because of the killing that [are] going on, people were not allowed [to] … plant anything. That’s why there is no harvest,” explains Bishop Dr. Yassir Eric, a partner of Horizons International.

Child in Sudan (Photo courtesy of Abdulaziz Mohammed/Unsplash)

“The situation is very, very severe, because two rainy seasons pass by, and people are not able to do anything. And now in Darfur, the killing is also going on, and those who manage to plant anything, the rebels [come] and then put everything on fire.” 

The Darfur killings Bishop Eric refers to happened last week, when the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group assaulted one famine-struck refugee camp called Zamzam (among other locations in Sudan’s western Darfur region). The attacks displaced an estimated 400,000 people, according to the United Nations.

Although this latest episode was done by the RSF, its chief opponent, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), has committed horrific acts against civilians as well.

“Jesus is our God, and He’s the God of the suffering,” Bishop Eric says. “This is actually the difference between Allah in Islam and God in the Bible. In our suffering, we know He feels with us.”

Please pray for God’s mercy on Sudan’s crises and find your place in the story. 

“We need to see people that are helping there, and to back them up, give them the resources that they need, so that to engage, not only in helping people that famine will go away, but that they will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ,” Bishop Eric says.

“I know and I believe that all things [work] for good — even this terrible situation, a beauty could come out of that, if we pray and if we give, and if we go.”

Click here to financially support Bishop Dr. Yassir Eric’s ministry in Sudan.

Header photo is a stock image courtesy of Lara Jameson via Pexels.

Instead, the conflict is escalating as it enters its third year today. The Rapid Support Forces have killed more than 300 people in two aid camps since Thursday.

unfoldingWord partners are among the 14 million people forced to flee their homes. “All of their lives are at risk, and they’re all worried about their families,” Dane* with unfoldingWord says.

“Most of them have experienced being displaced, yet they’re still working [and] translating the Bible for their people,” he continues.

“They see the Gospel and people meeting Christ as the only thing that will save their country.”

Scripture in minority languages

unfoldingWord teaches indigenous church planters how to translate God’s Word into their heart languages. More about that here. “There are 11 Bible translation teams working in Sudan’s unreached people group languages,” Dane says.

“Our partners there have completed drafting 20 New Testament books into Sudanese Arabic. They’ve drafted and have done the secondary checking on five Old Testament books.”

“They see the Gospel and people meeting Christ as the only thing that will save their country.”
(Photo courtesy of unfoldingWord)

One minority language group, for whom Sudanese Arabic is a second language, works parallel with the Sudanese Arabic translation team. “The [group was] able to tell the guys doing the Sudanese Arabic work, ‘Wow, these are excellent tools. Thank you so much. We’re using them right away,’” Dane says.

“The [group] has already translated our unfoldingWord Open Bible Stories, which are 50 Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation, for evangelism, discipleship, church planting, and translation training,” he continues.

“They’ve been trained to use all our tools, and they’ve completed five books so far: Jonah, 3 John, 1 Timothy, Ruth, and Esther. So that’s where things stand regarding the actual translation progress.”

Courage in action

This translation work doesn’t happen in a vacuum but within the context of persecution and risk. When Sudan’s war began, Dane interviewed the head of unfoldingWord’s partner organization, who says Sudanese church planters know their Gospel work puts them in harm’s way.

“He said, ‘In Sudan, if you’re going to obey Christ and plant churches and preach the Gospel, your life is forfeit. We carry our death certificates in our pocket,’” Dane recalls.

“They know they may die doing this, and yet they do it anyway because they love God and their countries.”

Now that you know, could you hit the “share” button? “With Ukraine and the war in the Middle East, Sudan is getting ignored,” Dane says.

“Share their story as much as you can on social media.”

Additionally, you can help this vital translation work continue in Sudan by giving to unfoldingWord’s “Whole Bible, Whole Nation” project. Your support drives a holistic process that reaches remote regions, equips communities with the tools they need, and trains church leaders to bring the Bible to life for new generations.

*Name withheld for security purposes.

Header and story images courtesy of unfoldingWord.

Broken healthcare systems and widespread sexual assault top off the report, while repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure keep millions in the dark and cut off from lifesaving aid.

“Sudan, for many reasons, should be on our radar. It’s the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. Famine is widespread; there are massive cholera outbreaks,” Unknown Nations’ Greg Kelley says.

“This is a country of only 50 million people, and more than half are dependent upon some kind of aid, or else they are facing death.”

Sudan’s most recent civil war erupted in April 2023 due to a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).

Tensions escalated when a failed transition to civilian rule following the 2019 ousting of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir and a 2021 military coup brought both leaders to power.

Arab militia known as Janjaweed are terrorizing Masalit communities in Sudan, particularly in the Darfur region.
(2004 U.S. State Department photo)

Disagreements over integrating the RSF into the regular army and the timeline for returning to civilian governance led to open conflict, plunging the country into widespread violence, displacement, and a humanitarian crisis.

How is Sudan’s war affecting Christians?

The RSF has launched numerous attacks against Christian communities and churches since the war began. “The RSF takes it to the next level because they have no limits, there’s no governor on what they will do, and so they will attack,” Kelley says.

“Christians are always a convenient target. They (RSF fighters) find majority Christian pockets in parts of Sudan and South Sudan, [and] they will target them for no other reason [than] they are Christians.”

Yet the Lord is bringing good from Sudan’s tragedy. Muslims are hearing about Christ for the first time in refugee camps and turning to Him for salvation.

“When everything has been taken from you, your heart is open to a different message,” Kelley says. “Even last week, there [were] 15 new baptisms [reported] from our Darfur believers who are working as missionaries among refugees.”

Keep praying for the war in Sudan to end. “The only thing that will change Sudan is the Gospel because the Gospel changes the heart. Yeah, we need to feed them and give them water, but the Gospel is the only answer for Sudan,” Kelley says.

Consider supporting Unknown Nations’ efforts to send practical help and spiritual hope. “We work through Christian missionaries and nationals who are on the ground, and they will disperse food, blankets, and clean water to the people who are affected,” Kelley says.

Header image courtesy of Spoken Worldwide.

“The people seeing their army, the Sudanese armed forces, take back a very symbolic location is very encouraging,” Greg Kelley of Unknown Nations says.

“Hopefully, this is the beginning of a negotiation that brings long-standing peace because Sudan is long overdue for peace.”

Unfortunately, these gains don’t mean the war’s end, as the RSF holds territory in the western Darfur region and elsewhere. Analysts say the war will likely turn into a conflict similar to that of the early 2000s when rebel groups fought the Islamist Sudanese government led by Omar al-Bashir.

“When it’s all said and done, the real victim is the people because these are just two groups fighting for power, and the people are suffering,” Kelley says.

Believers aren’t immune from the ongoing violence. RSF mercenaries recently used the Khartoum Evangelical Church as barracks, looting all the church’s contents.

More than 90 percent of Sudan’s population adheres to Islam. The Christian minority is quick to find in a context like this, and Islamist groups like the RSF “view Christians as easy targets,” Kelley says.

(Screenshot of damaged church obtained via March 24 post on X.)

“They will kill Christians, take over their properties; they’ll take their women, force their children into military service.”

Pray for peace in Sudan. The civil war will be three years old on April 15. Pray that those who need humanitarian aid will secure it quickly.

“[Sudan] is a country of only 50 million people, and more than half of them are dependent upon [outside] aid, or else they are facing death. Famine is widespread right now; there are massive outbreaks of cholera, which is rapidly transmitted through water [and] food,” Kelley says.

“The International Rescue Committee analyzes which countries are most likely to experience new or worsening humanitarian conditions, and Sudan, out of 195 countries, is number one.”

Send the light of God’s Word in audio to Sudan through Unknown Nations.

Header image courtesy of Lara Jameson via Pexels.

Hunter Williamson, communications coordinator with THIMAR-LSESD, says they are getting updates from local Sudanese partners about the collapse of law and order in Khartoum.

“Both sides have been weaponizing aid, restricting (and in some cases even completely denying) entry of aid into areas controlled by rivaling sides,” Williamson says.

“You have a lot of crime. You have, in some cases, the fighters that are part of the forces that control certain areas are undisciplined. So maybe they act abusive towards the civilian population [and] commit crimes, robbery.”

Habil, a Sudanese graduate from ABTS. (Photo courtesy of Arab Baptist Theological Seminary)

Sudanese pastors are trying to encourage frightened believers and reach the lost for Christ, but it’s hard. THIMAR-LSESD’s Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) has Sudanese alumni, and is working to encourage them.

Williamson says ABTS alumni “have been providing everything from financial support to Sudanese church leaders to just emotional and spiritual support — whether that just be picking up the phone and talking with a Sudanese friend that’s affected by everything, praying with them, [or] reading the Word with them.”

Pray for Christ’s peace to come to Sudan. Ask God to lead the lost to repentance and for the Sudanese people to know Jesus Christ. Pray for local Christians to stand firm in their faith.

You can learn more about THIMAR-LSESD’s ministry here.

Ultimately, Williamson says, “While there is all of this destruction, all of this bloodshed, God is using all of this to bring people to Him.”

Header photo of Khartoum, Sudan (Photo courtesy of Ahmed Rabea/Flickr – https://www.flickr.com/photos/99216220@N08/9325962193/)

Nearly nine million people have fled their homes in more than a year of conflict. See our full coverage here. One in three Sudanese faces acute hunger, and millions of vulnerable people are on the brink of famine.

What stands between countless thousands of desperate people and the peace and stability they need to survive? In a word, ambition.

Photo of a family in Sudan courtesy of Sudan Envoy/Wikimedia Commons.

“The paramilitary has grievances toward Arabs (government forces) of North and the middle of Sudan,” Reverend Joseph*, an unfoldingWord partner in Sudan, says.

“They (paramilitary) feel they were used to keep them (Arab military) in power, so they want to change the narrative; they want to come to power as well.”

A grocery shop owner in El Fasher tells BBC News that wherever the armies fight, civilians become victims.

“[It] is a chaotic, senseless kind of war for normal Sudanese,” Reverend Joseph says.

When a coup unseated long-time Islamist dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019, Sudanese Christians held hope for a brighter future. Today, that hope is a distant memory as believers face persecution from both sides.

No matter who “wins” this war, “We suspect it will be harder than the Bashir era. Whether [army] or with the [RSF], they are targeting systematically the institution of the Church; they try to demolish all church structures,” Reverend Joseph says.

“They intend, after the war, there will be no Church.”

Pray for strength and endurance as Sudanese Christians continue Bible translation work in neighboring countries. More about that here.

“We are not just [translating] the Bible so that they have Word, but also we are preserving those languages [so they don’t] die,” Reverend Joseph says.

*Pseudonym

Header image depicts a church in Sudan. (Photo courtesy of World Watch Monitor)