KHARTOUM NORTH, Sudan – An airstrike on a Baptist church in Sudan less than a week before Christmas killed at least 11 people, including eight children, an organization focused on international religious freedom reported.
The Sudan Armed Forces airstrike hit Al Ezba Baptist Church in Khartoum North on Dec. 20. It damaged the worship facility, the church’s nursery – which was occupied at the time – and several residential buildings, Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported.
Less than a week after the airstrike on the mosque, more than 100 civilians were killed when the Sudan Armed Forces hit a crowded marketplace in Kabkabiya in western Darfur.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom reported in April more than 150 churches had been damaged since the war in Sudan began in 2023.
“We pray for God to give the two warring parties the wisdom to stop the war. The longer it continues, the more innocent children and civilians will die,” Pastor Philemon Hassan of Al Ezba Baptist Church said.
“In Al Ezba area, people are dying either in this way or for the lack of basic humanitarian needs. Some can’t afford to leave the area, and those who can, are afraid to leave because they could be arrested for falsely being affiliated with the RSF.”
In October, more than 100 members of the Sudanese Church of Christ moved from Al Ezba to Shendi in River Nile State, seeking to escape the violence. In Shendi, 26 men were arrested by the Sudan Armed Forces Military Intelligence Unit and accused of being affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces.
Khataza Gondwe, advocacy director for CSW, expressed condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the Dec. 20 airstrike.
“It is particularly deplorable that most of the fatalities were children who died in a place where they should have been safe. The high number of child casualties illustrates the continuing disregard for civilian lives by both warring parties throughout this conflict,” he said.
“In addition, the persistent targeting of places of worship violates international humanitarian and human rights law egregiously, and may constitute a war crime, especially when these premises are being used to meet the sharp rise in humanitarian needs generated by the ongoing conflict.
“CSW continues to call on both the SAF and the RSF to agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, to ensure the protection of civilians, and to bring an end to the severe human rights and humanitarian crises in the country.”
This article originally appeared in the Baptist Standard.
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