Sudan Christians In Crossfire; Prayers Urged
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KHARTOUM (Worthy News) – With Christmas approaching, Christians urged prayers for their community in war-stricken Sudan, saying they are in the crossfire as a bishop and a pastor were among those being attacked.
In one of the latest known incidents, the bishop of the El-Obeid diocese in Sudan, Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andali, “suffered a harrowing ordeal” at the hands of both members of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and those of the opposing rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In comments shared with Worthy News, Bishop Trille said he was nearly killed in attacks this month while traveling with a deacon named Joseph. “The ministry team had just arrived in El-Obeid when they were suddenly stopped and harassed by the SAF. The troops seized the small sum of money in U.S. dollars that the bishop was carrying, claiming that it was forbidden currency,“ added Christian advocacy group Voice Of the Martyrs Canada (VOMC), which supports Christians in the mainly Muslim north-east African nation.
”During the robbery, the soldiers also physically harmed the two men.“ Shortly after the December 1 incident, ”Bishop Tombe Trille and Deacon Joseph were accosted by RSF members who proceeded to beat the Christian leaders severely,“ VOMC added.
The bishop said he believed that the rebels had ”intended to kill“ them, but ”one of the soldiers in the group eventually persuaded the others to stop the beating.“ When the assailants departed from the scene, the assaulted church leaders were reportedly left abandoned with severe head and neck injuries.
Christians recalled this is not the first time Bishop Tombe Trille has been dangerously threatened. On April 20, 2023, he and other members of the clergy narrowly escaped death when rockets hit the premises of his residence, destroying the main gate of the cathedral, as well as his home, Worthy News learned.
“Thankfully, no one was injured during that incident. Despite the threats against him, the bishop has been a vocal opponent of the ongoing civil conflict in Sudan, publicly urging both sides to lay down their weapons,“ VOMC told Worthy News.
PASTOR ATTACKED
Separately, Pastor Zubair,” who had bravely stayed with his congregation even when the risks became immense, “ was detained recently, just months after he was injured when a bomb ” landed near his church,” Christians told Worthy News.
“When many of his church members decided to flee, Zubair joined them. Unfortunately, the entire group was arrested soon after arriving in their new city. As a church leader, Zubair was severely beaten and verbally insulted, adding to his suffering,“ explained Global Christian Relief charity working in the area.
His full name and more details were not immediately released amid security concerns.
VOMC urged Christians to “please pray” for the complete healing of Bishop Tombe Trille, Deacon Joseph, and their fellow clergy members,” as they recover “physically and/or emotionally from the attacks perpetrated against them.”
The group said it prays that “these Christian leaders, and the many other believers in Sudan who are encountering harassment because of their faith, be divinely protected” from any further threats against them. “In general, pray that there will finally be an end to the long-term civil war in Sudan so that lasting peace and harmony can be established throughout this African nation.”
The anti-Christian violence added to mounting social upheaval in Sudan, one the poorest countries in the world, with its 46 million people living on an average annual income of $750.
Since the 2021 coup, Sudan has been run by a council of generals led by two military men at the center of this dispute.
CLASHES ESCALATE
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the armed forces, is, in effect, the country’s president.
Yet experts suggest that his deputy and leader of the RSF, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, has abandoned him.
He disagrees with his former boss about the country’s direction and the proposed move towards civilian rule.
On Sunday, his RSF said it seized back control of a key logistical base in North Darfur, a day after it was taken by rival forces allied with Sudan’s official army.
The conflict between the RSF and the army erupted in April 2023, and some of the fiercest fighting has taken place in North Darfur as the army and allied Joint Forces – a collection of former rebel groups – battle to maintain a last foothold in the wider Darfur region.
The Joint Forces and the army said earlier they had taken control on Saturday of the al-Zurug base, which the RSF used during the 20-month war as a logistical base to channel supplies from over the nearby borders with Chad and Libya.
Dozens of RSF soldiers were killed, and vehicles
destroyed, and supplies were captured as they captured the base, the army claimed. Since fighting picked up in Darfur’s capital, al-Fashir, in mid-April, at least 782 civilians have been killed due to “intense” heavy artillery and suicide drones from the RSF and airstrikes and artillery strikes by the army, according to a United Nations human rights report.
The RSF had also been accused of human rights abuses, including the massacre of more than 120 protesters in June 2019. With fighting escalating, there is concern that minority Christians will remain in the crossfire while remembering the birth of Jesus.
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