USCIRF: More than 150 churches have been attacked since the start of the war in Sudan

More than 150 churches have been damaged or destroyed since the start of the war in Sudan last April, according to a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

The conflict between Sudanese armed forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has claimed thousands of lives and devastated religious communities, with US watchdogs warning that religious sites are being targeted, leaving a trail of destruction.

The ongoing conflict has resulted in an estimated more than 13,000 deaths, according to USCIRF, with armed fighters targeting places of worship and other religious sites.

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In a statement, Commissioner Mohamed Magid said: “International humanitarian law considers places of worship and religious sites as sacred, even during armed conflict. Despite Article 53 protections, places of worship and religious sites in Sudan continue to be impermissibly damaged and destroyed.”

The Commissioner also expressed concerns about attacks on religious leaders and the impact of the conflict on religious minorities.

According to Morning Star News, a major event took place in January when RSF militants set fire to an evangelical church in Wad Madani. Built in 1939, the church was the largest religious structure in Gezira state. The RSF had also attacked a Coptic Christian monastery in Wad Madani and converted it into a military base.

The violence is not limited to structures. In May 2023, armed attackers entered a church and shot four people, including a priest and his son, and stabbed the church guard before looting the building. RSF militants also killed Hidar Al Amin, a member of the Sudanese Presbyterian Evangelical Church, during a raid in Omdurman. Al Amin’s relative reported that he was killed after RSF militants looted his property.

In another incident, evangelical pastor Kowa Shamal narrowly escaped death after RSF militants ordered him to renounce his faith, La Croix International reported earlier this month. Pastor Shamal refused, resulting in a physical confrontation that ended with the murder of his 23-year-old nephew. The RSF killed the nephew because he refused to remove the cross he wore around his neck.

U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello and USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman attended the International Humanitarian Conference on Sudan earlier this month, marking the one-year anniversary of the war. Deputy Administrator Coleman announced $100 million in additional humanitarian assistance to the people of Sudan, bringing the U.S. Government’s humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people to more than $1 billion since October 2023.

In recent months there has been a notable increase in the destruction of religious sites during the armed conflict. USCIRF has called on governments and non-state actors to comply with international law to protect these sites, citing publications on freedom of religion in the Sahel region and the protection of religious sites under international law.

The conflict has deeply affected Sudan’s Christian minority, estimated at around 2 million people, or 4.5% of the country’s population of more than 43 million.

Open Doors’ World Watch List 2024 ranked Sudan as the 8th most challenging place to be a Christian, with religious freedom reforms failing to be implemented locally at the national level. The number of attacks by non-state actors continued to rise, contributing to this high ranking.

The violence in Sudan has displaced millions, with civilians bearing the brunt of the power struggle between the SAF and the RSF. As fighting continues, religious minorities fear the situation could worsen even if the conflict ends, raising concerns about future persecution. The ongoing conflict has reignited fears about harsh aspects of Islamic law, especially after the 2021 military coup.

The deep state that fueled the October 25, 2021 coup and led to the conflict is seen as a threat to religious minorities. The transitional government, established after the ousting of former dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019, had made progress in reducing religious discrimination, including banning apostasy laws. However, the military coup reversed this progress, leaving Sudan’s religious communities in a precarious state.