3/27/2025 Sudan (International Christian Concern) — Reports indicate that members of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have recaptured Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan, after a nearly two-year civil war that has ravaged the country. Abdel al-Burhan, the leader of the SAF, visited the ruined presidential palace in Khartoum Wednesday, declaring Khartoum “now free.”
The war continues to rage throughout Sudan, where more than 12.5 million people are currently displaced due to the fighting between the SAF and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia. Still, the capture of the capital represents a shift in the war and may portend further losses for the RSF.
Earlier this year, the Biden administration declared the RSF guilty of committing an ongoing genocide. Citing the systematic murder of men and boys and widespread sexual violence against women and girls of the Masalit ethnic group, the United States levied a raft of sanctions against the RSF, its leaders, and companies in the UAE that have supported the group financially.
The RSF grew out of the Janjaweed, a group of Sudanese militias that carried out the Darfur genocide, recognized by the United States in 2004.
According to reports, at least 165 churches have had to close since the war started in 2023. Some churches are now used as bases for military operations in the war, with people previously sheltering there forced out or even killed to make way for soldiers. Members of the clergy have been targeted, with soldiers shooting or stabbing priests and others during their raids.
The well-equipped SASF often bombs churches, indiscriminately injuring or killing those sheltering inside, including women and children.
Only about 5% of Sudan’s population is Christian, while about 91% identify as Sunni Muslim. The state of religious freedom in Sudan has been bleak for decades, with Christians severely persecuted during the 30-year reign of dictator Omar al-Bashir and the Sharia-based legal system he imposed.
When Bashir was overthrown in 2019 in a military coup, it was unclear how the coup would change the fortunes of the county’s religious minority communities.
Initially, conditions for religious freedom in Sudan seemed to be improving. The new transitional constitution removed Bashir-era references to Sharia, new Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok publicly promised to promote peace and tolerance, and Sudan was quickly removed from the U.S. Department of State’s Countries of Particular Concern list of the world’s worst countries for religious freedom.
In 2021, the SAF and RSF worked together to overthrow the civilian government led by Hamdok. However, that alliance fell apart in April 2023, prompting a devastating civil war that continues to this day and has utterly devastated Sudan’s civilian population, both Christian and Muslim.
Both sides of the conflict have been responsible for immense human suffering and have acted in ways that directly kill, harm, and displace civilians. Afraid of losing leverage or battlefield advantage, both sides have also blocked humanitarian assistance from reaching those in need. Speaking to this issue, the White House last year called on both parties to “immediately allow unhindered humanitarian access to all areas of Sudan” and reverse their decisions to “delay and disrupt lifesaving humanitarian operations.”
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