Christian Foundation Condemns Attacks on Places of Worship as Violence Escalates in Sudan

Khartoum, 29 October, 2024 / 10:42 PM

A UK-based human rights foundation has condemned the escalation of attacks on places of worship in Sudan following the recent bombing of Sheikh El Jeili Mosque in the embattled Gezira State of the East-Central African country.

Local reports have told Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) that an estimated 31 people died in the October 20 attack by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) that has been in armed conflict with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since 15 April 2023.

In a Monday, October 28 report, CSW President Mervyn Thomas has expressed solidarity with the victims of the attack, saying, “We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the aerial bombardment of the Sheikh El Jeili Mosque.”

In the report, Mervyn says that attacks on places of worship where civilians are gathered and seek refuge “constitute severe breaches of international humanitarian and human rights law.”

He challenges international bodies, including the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, to document the attacks on places of worship thoroughly.

According to CSW, the attack on Sheikh El Jeili Mosque is not the first time that places of worship have been targeted in the ongoing war between the SAF and RSF.

The Christian human rights foundation reports that in November 2023 the largest church in Omdurman was bombed by the SAF, while the RSF “has repeatedly attacked churches.”

In March 2024, SAF-affiliated Islamist militia detonated explosives inside a mosque, also in Omdurman.

The attack on the Sheikh El Jeili Mosque comes at a time of increased fighting across the country, including in Gezira State. CSW reports that the RSF have attacked villages in the State following the defection of one of its commanders, Abu Aqla Kikal, to the SAF on October 20.

On October 25, at least 124 people were killed in an attack that CSW says led to thousands being forcibly displaced.

The Christian human rights foundation has also gathered reports suggesting that a number of women had committed mass suicide in the wake of the RSF attacks to avoid being subjected to sexual violence, sexual slavery or kidnapping by the armed group.

“There are also reports of the RSF separating men in the community and detaining some in a local mosque. Others were marched into fields and killed,” CSW says.

In the October 28 CSW report, Mervyn says that the attacks on civilians in Gezira State underscore the urgent need for coordinated international protection mechanisms, especially for vulnerable groups such as women and girls and minority communities.

He adds that the emerging reports of extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, the targeting of civilians and looting as war rages in Sudan “are deeply disturbing and unacceptable.”

The CSW President calls for all parties to the Sudanese violent conflict to be “pressured to protect civilians in accordance with their obligations under international law and the Jeddah Agreements.”

“Additionally, steps must be taken to stem the proliferation of arms into Sudan and to penalize those responsible for this,” Mervyn says.

Sabrine Amboka contributed to the writing of this story.