In Sudan, the civil war between rival generals Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has produced a harrowing persecution of millions of Christian citizens. According to Open Doors, both sides of the conflict show little concern for Christian safety. Some Christians in areas controlled by hostile forces are reportedly being told: “Renounce Jesus, or you won’t get food.” The famine and blockades make those threats especially dangerous.
Open Doors estimates that over 150,000 Christians have died in the fighting, while up to 15 million have been uprooted from their homes. The war has allowed Islamist extremist forces to exploit chaos—destroying churches, denying aid to Christian communities, and criminalizing even praying in private homes. The hunger crisis is intensified by deliberate discrimination against Christians in aid distribution.
In El Fasher, loyal RSF forces have reportedly besieged the city since April 2024. The blockade has cut off supplies: food, rice, wheat, and medicine are nearly impossible to acquire in many zones. People are dying of even the simplest illnesses, and in some areas, are reduced to eating animal feed or grass just to survive. Christians in these regions are particularly exposed to suffering.
Both Burhan’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Dagalo’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are accused of brutalizing Christians. The RSF in particular has been linked to continued violence—church demolitions, arbitrary detentions, forced conversions, and destruction of Christian property. The RSF is also described as the successor to the Janjaweed militias, notorious for their violence in Darfur.
Church leaders who speak out fear for their lives and demand assistance. Refugees say the international community remains silent while basic human rights are erased. “We are just always asking God to have mercy on us,” one Christian in a besieged area said. Observers are urging governments and global institutions to act—not only with statements, but with meaningful humanitarian help and diplomatic pressure.
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