Six children killed and 23 people injured as church buildings bombed in Sudan
Ongoing conflict continues to bring death and destruction in Sudan, with Christians among those affected. A church leader has told Open Doors that it might have been much worse, had it not been for your prayers. Please continue to keep the country in your prayers.
Damage to a building hit during the attack in Sudan
At least six children have been killed when a large church in Sudan was bombed. A further 23 people were injured when a bomb hit a mission house in Khartoum, where nuns had been caring for people. As these tragedies demonstrate, Christians continue to be caught up in the country’s ongoing conflict.
The tragic incident involving the six children happened on 4 November, when a bomb hit The Church of our Saviour, the largest church in the city of Omdurman. It hosted services for both Evangelical and Episcopal believers. The church was damaged, as was a house for orphaned boys located in the church compound.
It’s believed that the buildings were hit because they are situated between the two warring factions – the Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces. The two groups have been engaged in a power struggle since April, causing the deaths of more than 9,000 people, with some six million displaced.
Nuns bravely remain despite bombing
A day earlier, a bomb fell on a mission house where the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, had been providing shelter and care for both Christians and non-Christians. It left 23 people injured, including children, nuns and the headmaster of a school in the church compound.
"If it were not for your continued prayers, many more would have died in those attacks" Church leader
“[The nuns] provide water from the well, because in many places, wells have run dry since the war started,” says a field contact. “One of the nuns told me that she believes they were sent as missionaries, not just messengers: ‘That’s why we live with the Sudanese whether they are Christian or not, in joyful times and sorrowful times.’”
Despite the incident and the ongoing danger, the nuns are determined to remain at the house to serve those in need. “As long as you are there; we have hope. Do not abandon us!” they are repeatedly told by people.
The power and urgency of your prayers
A partner on the ground in Khartoum says that there is no way to know for certain if the church buildings in Omdurman and Khartoum were bombed intentionally.
“We are immensely grateful to members of the Body of Christ like the Salesian nuns who have remained in Khartoum to be Jesus’ hands and feet serving marginalised people,” says Fikiru*, an Open Doors persecution expert in East Africa.
“It is devastating to receive the news of church buildings being destroyed. It physically illustrates the pressure the Body of Christ is under in Sudan – clearly an unwanted minority. When I spoke to a Sudanese church leader after the attacks, he asked me to tell brothers and sisters around the world praying for Sudan that, if it were not for their continued prayers, many more would have died in those attacks.”
In October, representatives of the warring factions in Sudan’s ongoing conflict agreed to meet in Saudi Arabia to resume negotiations, but they were unable to reach a ceasefire.
“Please do not forget Sudan in your prayers,” adds Fikiru. “Pray for Christians who are displaced, for church leaders serving in uncertain times and that God will bring good out of this difficult situation the church finds itself in.”
*Name changed for security reasons
