Two million Christians in Sudan are among the conflict’s most vulnerable, facing acute food shortages, targeted attacks on places of worship and reported pressure to abandon their faith as the country’s war between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) stretches beyond two years.
Humanitarian and church leaders say communities are under siege in several cities, with blockades preventing food, medicine and other aid from reaching largely Christian neighborhoods. A senior Sudanese church leader, speaking from an undisclosed location and withholding his identity for safety, told Fox News Digital, "For a long time now they’re eating animal feed and grass. No wheat, no rice, nothing can get in. And unfortunately now, no medicine — if you have just the flu it can kill you. We don’t know what to do. We are just always asking God [to] have mercy on us."
The fighting, which began in April 2023 after tensions that followed the 2019 ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, has produced what aid groups say is the world’s largest displacement crisis. Between 13 million and 15 million people have been forced from their homes and an estimated 150,000 people have been killed since the conflict began, according to the accounts cited by observers and relief organizations. Christians make up roughly 4% of Sudan’s population and are concentrated in parts of Khartoum, central Sudan and eastern states.
Researchers and aid workers report that both warring parties have carried out abuses against Christian communities. Mariam Wahba, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that more than 165 churches have been forced to close. Wahba said RSF fighters stormed Khartoum’s Anglican cathedral in 2023 and converted it into a military base, while SAF airstrikes leveled Al Ezba Baptist Church in Khartoum North. She said both sides have detained and beaten civilians identified as Christian, citing incidents in 2024 and 2025.
Wahba said RSF fighters have been particularly violent in central regions such as Wad Madani, where an Evangelical church was set on fire in December 2024 and an attack on the Sudanese Church of Christ wounded 14 worshippers. She and other analysts warned of reports that some militants have demanded conversion to Islam in exchange for aid or protection. The RSF is widely seen as the successor to the Janjaweed militias that carried out atrocities in Darfur two decades ago.
Church leaders also point to administrative and security barriers that block aid distribution. The anonymous senior church leader said local authorities control which families receive relief and alleged Christians have been denied food unless they abandon their faith. "Christians are seen as an enemy for both warring parties, and even the political parties," he said. "Sudan is considered as a land of one religion and one race."
The situation has drawn concern from the U.S. government. A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that since the April 2023 outbreak of conflict, the United States has witnessed "significant backsliding in Sudan’s overall respect for fundamental freedoms, including religious freedom," and that the deterioration "especially impacts Sudan’s marginalized ethnic and religious populations, including Christians." The spokesperson said U.S. efforts aim to prevent a return of Bashir-era loyalists and to limit the influence of violent extremists and outside actors that could deepen instability.
Relief groups and analysts say the persecution and humanitarian deprivation have left many Christian communities with little recourse. Churches that once served as centers of shelter and aid have been attacked, repurposed for military use or demolished for rezoning, according to local accounts. The combination of siege conditions, interrupted supply lines and security risks has sharply limited access to food, clean water and health care in several besieged cities, including El Fasher.
Local clergy and congregants describe an atmosphere in which public worship and even prayer gatherings at home are increasingly restricted in some areas. Despite the constraints, some church leaders say their congregations continue to offer what assistance they can and to appeal for international attention to the humanitarian crisis.
The civil war’s roots in the power struggle between the RSF and SAF follow political upheaval in Sudan over the past half-decade. Observers warn that continued attacks on religious minorities, coupled with mass displacement and a collapse in basic services, risk deepening social fractures and prolonging the country’s humanitarian emergency. Church leaders and human rights groups have called for unfettered humanitarian access and urgent measures to protect civilians and places of worship as fighting continues.