The Sudanese people have always been religious. Besides traditional African religions, the people of present-day Sudan practised a form of Judaism during the Nubian kingdom of Kush. In the book of Acts, chapter 8, we read of the conversion of the eunuch, who is reading the Hebrew scriptures when he encounters the Apostle Philip.
This first century event is credited as marking the start of the spread of Christianity in the region. Many Nubian kingdoms subsequently became Christian and for hundreds of years, until the sixth century, Christianity was the dominant religion in northern Sudan.
Christianity’s hold over the region began to decline from the seventh century, as Islam started to spread into northeastern Africa. But two Christian kingdoms, Makuria and Alodia, survived into the early 16th century, when the region became largely Arabized and Islamicised.
Colonial rule and independence
From the 19th century Christianity was reintroduced into Sudan by European missionaries. Under British colonial rule (1899-1956), missionary work was focused on the south, leading to a northern Muslim, southern Christian divide.
After independence in 1956, the new government of Sudan sought to Arabize and Islamise the entire country. This policy was aggressively pursued under the three-decade rule of Omar al-Bashir (1989-2019).
The marginalisation and persecution of Christians contributed to two civil wars between northern and southern Sudan, as the southern Sudanese sought greater autonomy.
Six years after the end of the Second Civil War in 2005, South Sudan declared independence.
Discrimination against Christians
In Sudan, Christians are again enduring persecution on account of their faith after a brief respite following the ouster of al-Bashir in 2019.
Under the civilian government in place until 2021, Christians and women experienced equality with other citizens. The government reformed the justice system, succeeded in having some international sanctions removed, and began reforming governance, education, economy, and resource management.
The interim constitution of 2019 allows a Christian citizen to occupy the position of president of the country. However, in practice, only one Christian, Raja Nicola, has served in the government of Sudan since the military coup of 2021.
This kind of apartheid has permeated all employment levels. The discrimination affects Christian families directly, because it is associated with poverty, and exclusion from social life. Discriminatory laws and poverty are the hidden root of the social unrest in Sudan.
Restrictions on religious worship
Christians are denied access to land to build churches. At the same time, permission to operate is denied to existing churches and church premises even on lands owned by the churches themselves.
Christian life in the north is expected to be confined to the home and not publicly practised, because the public identity of the country is Muslim. Open-air preaching in the north is prohibited by law and public order regulations. Anyone daring to preach publicly is normally thrown into prison for violating the public order law.
Until 2020, those found guilty of apostasy—conversion from Islam to Christianity—faced the death sentence. Although this provision of the penal code was abolished in July of that year, anyone converting away from Islam is still likely to face harsh penalties under the personal status laws based on Sharia law that govern marriage and inheritance. This climate of persecution makes it hard for new Christians to declare their faith and live a normal life according to their own terms.
Collective punishment of Christians
As the civil war rages in Sudan, the government is enforcing a collective punishment on those people living in areas under the control of the SPLM-N (Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North), notably the Nuba Mountains and part of the Blue Nile region, as the majority are either Christians or followers of African traditional religions.
The northern elites have declared many fatwas or Islamic decrees that call for the killing of all people living in the SPLM-N controlled areas and the looting of their property. That is why the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are carrying out a systematic campaign of aerial bombardment and a scorched-earth policy. They believe Christians or non-Muslims deserve to be annihilated.
The SAF has carried out acts of brutality against civilian populations when entering frontline villages. Many church leaders have been tortured to death. Others who have survived torture have been set free to serve as a warning as to what will happen to those captured by the SAF or allied militias. Sadly, according to Islam these kinds of acts are legitimate expressions of Jihad or holy war.
Many churches have been bombed by SAF airplanes and church celebrations have been targeted by artillery and machine gunfire.
On Christmas Day 2025, the SAF carried out a dawn attack in Julud in the Nuba Mountains, killing at least 12 people and injuring many others.
Lack of fundamental rights
Since that incident, church leaders have had to rearrange events, including Sunday services, to either very early in the morning or at night to avoid mass killings. This is a clear violation of freedom of assembly, freedom of movement and speech and the fundamental right to life.
Christians in Sudan in general do not have these fundamental rights. Sometimes Muslims pretend to be accommodating by showing up at Christian celebrations, such as Christmas or Easter, but that is just to procure young fighters to join the military as cannon fodder on the battlefield.
Christians are even subject to torture when they leave SPLM-N-controlled areas to enter SAF-controlled areas for one reason or another. They are no longer accepted among the Arab Muslims in the north.
In the Nuba Mountains today, Christians endure persecution in silence. Although they have cried out, it seems no one has heard their cry yet. So we continue to pray for freedom and justice in Sudan and for the return of the rule of justice and love.
Benjamin Barnaba Executive Director of CSDA, May 2026
We thank Benjamin for the hard work of our project partners in the Nuba Mountains, as the team distributes emergency aid packages containing food, medicine, and tarpaulins as shelter for the displaced persons in the region. Thank you for your support. Please pray for the victims in Sudan and, if you can, donate today.
