Christians in Sudan are caught between two fighting factions, with each military group accusing them of siding with the other, an advocacy group said.
In Gezira state southeast of Khartoum, where rebel militants of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are forcing Christians in Al Thora Mobe village to convert to Islam, RSF militants accuse anyone of trying to flee of supporting the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
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The village, a suburb of Wad Madani, has been under RSF control since December.
“It is also dangerous to flee, as the RSF has surrounded the village and accuses anyone who tries to leave the area of being affiliated with the SAF,” CSW said in a press statement, citing an area source. “However, those who do escape areas under RSF control risk being arrested by military intelligence and detained like the SCOC [Sudanese Church of Christ] members held in Shendi.”
In Shendi, River Nile state, SAF military intelligence in the past week arbitrarily arrested 26 fleeing men, most of them Christians, on suspicion of supporting the RSF. Fourteen were released Oct. 12-13, but the remaining 12 remain in detention, CSW stated.
In December 2020, the State Department removed Sudan from its Special Watch List.
The Christian population of Sudan is estimated at 2 million, or 4.5 percent of the total population of more than 43 million.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Morning Star News.
