Sudan: Crisis in Darfur deepens

Within the period 10-14 May 2024, at least 56 people have been killed and hundreds wounded as the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) encircled El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state, according to a report by CNN published on 16 May 2024. According to Al-Jazeera reporting on 17 May 2024, 1.8 million residents and internally displaced people are sheltering in El Fasher without basic food supplies; it is feared that famine will break out if the fighting becomes an all-out battle for the city, which is the last stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the western Darfur region. The UN human rights office reported on 17 May 2024 that artillery attacks by the RSF and air bombardments by the SAF have been causing an estimated 1,000 new refugees to cross the border from Darfur to neighboring Chad every day.

World Watch Research analyst Yonas Dembele comments: “The crisis in Sudan is taking a severe toll on civilians, including Christians. The situation is also emboldening smaller jihadist groups in the country, and some churches have been taken over by the SAF and have already been targeted and attacked. Christians are often caught in the middle of such fighting. Historically, conflicts in Sudan have not spared civilians, particularly in areas settled by Christians, such as the Nuba Mountains. The crisis in Sudan further exacerbates the region's fragility in many ways. The region is already highly volatile, with conflicts, drought and armed groups creating an environment of total instability. For Christians, such a situation is extremely dangerous.”