Originally published in Premier Christian News
A church leader in Sudan has said more people are coming to Christ there despite ongoing violence between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces.
This weeks marks three years since the civil war began, and since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed. More than 11 million people have been internally displaced and nearly four million have fled to neighbouring countries.
In three days alone more than 6 000 people were killed around the city of El Fasher, according to the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan. Denise Brown said: “Please don’t call this a forgotten crisis. I’m referring to this as an abandoned crisis.”
Rafat Samir, who is a pastor in Sudan, told Premier Christian News there is no let-up to the violence. “Unfortunately, the war in Sudan is going badly day by day,” he said. “The war’s zone is shifting day by day in many places, our church in many places suffer.
“They have no food. They have no medicines. Also, every day we hear in the Church people are dying. They don’t die by bullets, they die by sickness, by diseases, by joining one of the parties of this war.
As Christians, we say yes to life. Unfortunately, this war is meaningless and destroying the country. We see darkness in the heart of tribes against tribes, of races against race. We see hate from neighbour to neighbour. So it’s pure evil.”
On Tuesday, Doctors Without Borders said it recorded two deaths and treated 56 wounded people following five drone attacks carried out by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the Darfur region.The UN human rights office has said there has been a sharp rise in the use of drones in Sudan this year with more than 500 civilians killed from such strikes between January and mid-March.
Samir described the toll three years of war has taken on Sudan: “If you went to the streets and hospitals, you see the children are suffering. No medicine, no schools, no life. The houses which have been full of joy and full of families, are now empty and destroyed. We used to know our city Khartoum as the greenest city in the Middle East, but now it’s full of weeds.”
But despite the fighting, he said many tribe-members are being drawn to the hope of Jesus.
“As a Church we are praying how we can be salt and light our communities. We learn from our Lord. They killed us, but we forgive them. I can tell you, we see new believers from many tribes. We never have had Christians from that tribe and this is not because we are good. It’s not about what at the church is doing. It’s His work, and we believe in His goodness.”
On Tuesday, Catholic aid agency CAFOD and other leading charities joined Anneliese Dodds MP and Sudanese representatives in Downing Street, to raise awareness of the war. A group delivered a 41 243-strong petition demanding action from the UK Government.
Annaliese Dodds MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Sudan and South Sudan said: “This situation has gone beyond catastrophe, and the people of Sudan can’t wait any longer. The UK Government must use its position as United Nations Security Council penholder to show the leadership this crisis demands. That means acting now to protect civilians and ensure aid reaches those in desperate need.”
Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille, from the Diocese of El Obeid in Sudan, also issued a letter to mark the third anniversary of the conflict. In it, he honoured the suffering of millions and called for peace to be prioritised over political advantage.
“What began as a political and military struggle has grown into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises,” he said. “Millions have been displaced… communities once living side by side in peace now face hunger, fear, and uncertainty. Essential services such as schools, health facilities, and markets have been crippled. The rich social fabric of Sudan — woven from culture, faith, and diversity — has been deeply wounded.
“Peace in Sudan will not come through weapons or foreign interests, but through a deliberate, inclusive, and just process rooted in the dignity of every Sudanese person.”
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