Persecution of Christians in Sudan: it is ironic that the assailants declared that the area where these Christians were was a “Muslim area,” as many centuries ago, during the time of the Emperor Justinian (AD 527-565), Nubia (modern-day Sudan) was a center of Christianity. Today, most of the small minority of Sudanese who are Christians are Roman Catholic or Protestant, and there is also still a small number of Greek Orthodox Christians there.
The words in this article, “We will kill you because you left Islam and became infidel,” succinctly illustrate the difficulties that converts to Christianity face. May Almighty God bless Sudan nonetheless with a genuine transformation, and turn the hearts of the governing authorities and the people to Christ in repentance.
For previous ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in Sudan, see here.
“Christians Attacked in Sudan after Incitement by Mosque Leaders in Khartoum,” Morning Star News, June 24, 2020:
JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News) – Following calls from mosque leaders in east Khartoum, Sudan to rid their “Muslim area” of South Sudanese Christians, several Christians were attacked there and in neighboring Omdurman this month, sources said.
At the end of evening prayers at a mosque in the Al-Jerif East area, on the eastern bank of the Blue Nile River in Khartoum’s East Nile Locality, imams on June 6 called for residents to rid Christian South Sudanese from the “Muslim area,” a source who requested anonymity told Morning Star News. Attacks on Christians in the area followed that evening and the next day.
In a separate attack on Saturday (June 20) in Omdurman, across the Nile River west of Khartoum, young Muslim men shouting the jihadist slogan “Allah Akbar [God is greater]” stabbed a Christian to death in a street assault on him and four other South Sudanese in the Shigla area, said another source on condition of anonymity.
Mariel Bang is survived by his wife and four children ranging in age from 1 to 4 years old, the source said. Bang was 35.
Besides the death of Bang, he added, the attack left one of the other South Sudanese Christians in critical condition. The other three Christians assaulted were women who sustained minor injuries, he said.
“We will burn this place,” one of the assailants said, according to the source.
Khartoum Attacks
After the June 6 call by imams in Khartoum’s Al-Jerif East to rid the area of South Sudanese, three young Muslim men with rods, sticks and rifles subsequently beat two Christians as they left an area market, said another source. Seriously injured was Ariere Sathor, 18, he said.
“The attack left one of the two Christians [Sathor] in critical condition after sustaining injuries on his head,” the source said. “The Muslims who consider the area Muslim territory were shouting, ‘They [South Sudanese] must leave this place by force.’”
The mosque leaders told those at the evening prayer that the South Sudanese were infidels, criminals and brewers of alcohol, which is forbidden in Islam, he said.
The next day, June 7, mobs of young Muslim men sent South Sudanese refugees fleeing for their lives as they set fire to 16 make-shift shelters of plastic sheeting where the refugees were living in the Al-Jerif East area, according to the source.
“The youths said they didn’t want to see them in a Muslim area,” the source told Morning Star News.
In the attack, 10 South Sudanese Roman Catholics in the area were injured, including a woman, Achoul Deng, he said. Among others injured were Deng Akuiek, 25; Deng Amoul, 18; Malieng Dengdid; Gwot Amoul; and Garang Arou Yien.
The injured Catholic woman, Achoul Deng, said Muslim men have long harassed Christian women in Al-Jerif East.
“This issue is disturbing us,” she said, “and it is not acceptable – but what can we do, oh God?”
Following the attacks on June 6-7, Muslims self-styled as the Resistance Committees of Al-Jerif East (Hai-Gerief Shriq) took to social media to explain why they attacked and burned the tents of the South Sudanese refugees. In their Facebook statement, they criticized police for not arresting the Christians for unspecified crimes.
“We blame the police force in this message for not being available in time of need,” the statement reads….
Sudan had been designated a CPC by the U.S. State Department since 1999.
Sudan ranked 7th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2020 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
