UK-Based Christian Entity Denounces Targeting of Women and Children as Violence Rages On in Sudan

Khartoum, 15 September, 2025 / 9:53 PM

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the UK-based human rights organization that specializes in religious freedom and works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs, has decried increasing atrocities against women and children in Sudan as the country’s civil war in its third-year rages on.

In a report titled “HRC60: Oral statement during interactive dialogue with the fact-finding mission on Sudan” that refers to an interaction with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Hybrid Joint Fact-Finding Mission (FFM), the CSW’s Press and Public Affairs Deputy Team Leader and United Nations (UN) Officer say they find it unfortunate that the war that broke out on 15 April 2023 is waged against the vulnerable.

“Incidents of conflict-related sexual violence and gender-based violence, which may amount to atrocity crimes, continue to be reported,” Claire Denman is quoted as saying in reference to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF, formerly the Janjaweed militia).

In the report published on September 9, Ms. Denman laments, “The targeting of women and children is a harrowing aspect of this conflict, and deliberate attacks on hospitals, medical centres, and humanitarian workers further reduce access to vital and at times life-saving support for those who need it.”

“The impact of this war on civilians leaves little room for interpretation - this is a war waged on the most vulnerable. It has devastated civilian populations. Nearly 12 million people have been displaced,” she says.

She further laments that “the targeting of humanitarian infrastructure, cultural and religious sites, including places of worship, is of grave concern.”

Ms. Denman highlights some of the attacks perpetrated by SAF members targeting places of worship. In December 2024, she says, “an SAF airstrike against a church in Khartoum led to the deaths of 11 people, including eight children.”  

In June 2025, she recalls, the RSF bombed three churches in El Fasher, a city in North Darfur, roughly 195 km northeast of Nyala, killing at least five people, including a  Parish Priest of the Catholic church.  

She laments that El Fasher has been "under siege since April 2024," and adds that in April 2025, the RSF "seized the Abu Souk and Zamzam camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs)" and that these two camps, situated near El Fasher, "form the largest IDP settlement in Sudan."

Earlier in February, CSW officials also petitioned the ACHPR-FFM on the violations of religious freedom and gender-based violence in Sudan.

In the submission, the officials of the Christian entity said, “Severe violations have been reported in cities in Central, North, South, and West Darfur, Khartoum, Northern State, and North Kordofan State, including sexual violence against women and girls, the forcible recruitment of civilians, including children, and arrests and false accusations targeting volunteers from Resistance Committees, who maintain a neutral stance while organizing logistical support for medical services for all who are injured.”

“Christians are a particularly vulnerable minority community. There have been reports of the arrest and detention by the SAF of Christians who have fled from RSF-controlled areas,” CSW officials said in the February 2025 submission.

CSW officials urged the ACHPR Hybrid Joint Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) to “strongly condemn attacks on civilians, including religious leaders, and carry out investigations into such abuses, ensuring those responsible are held to account.”

They further urged the African human rights group to support investigations into the destruction of places of worship and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.

In the September 9 report, the CSW’s Press and Public Affairs Deputy Team Leader and UN officer emphasizes the importance of the FFM in Sudan.

“The FFM’s ability to collect evidence, monitor, document, and report on violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in Sudan, including the collection and preservation of testimonies, remains essential,” Ms. Denman says.

She warns, “Without accountability, lasting peace, justice, and the rule of law cannot prevail. We urge members of this Council to ensure that the FFM's mandate is renewed and that it is fully resourced and able to carry out its work without hindrance.”