General al-Burhan’s (SAF) has arrested members of the Al Iziba Christian Church in Khartoum Bahri (Khartoum North) as they attempted to flee escalating fighting in the area.
The detainees, comprising 16 men, 25 women, and 54 children, were captured in Shendi, River Nile State, between October 2 and 7. According to Osama Saeed Musa Koudi, president of the Sudanese Christian Youth Union, these arrests represent another instance of targeting ethnic and religious minorities amid the ongoing civil war.
The nonprofit group Justice Africa Sudan issued an urgent alert on the matter, stating that these Christians, all from the Nuba Mountains, were attempting to escape the conflict in Khartoum Bahri when they were arrested by General al-Burhan’s (SAF) military intelligence.
The group was accused of collaborating with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) which has been at war with the SAF since 2023.
Despite their initial arrest, women and children were reportedly released, but church leader Evangelist Al Zibair Hassan Al-Ramla and several other men remain in custody.
The treatment of the detainees has drawn condemnation from civil society groups, who argue that the arrests are part of a broader crackdown on civilians who remained in RSF-controlled areas of Bahri.
Mubarak Ardol, a Nuba politician affiliated with the military regime, announced on social media that 14 detainees had been released, while two remain under investigation.
However, independent confirmation of this release is yet to surface. Ardol’s statement appeared timed to counter growing criticism over the detention of the Christian group, stating that “intelligence agencies have the right to be vigilant during these times.”
Ethnic and religious targeting, particularly against the Nuba Mountains’ Christian minority, continues despite the conflict not being overtly religious. Nuba Christians, long caught in the crossfire of Sudan’s larger wars, are often viewed with suspicion by state security forces.
The Nuba Mountains have been a site of longstanding conflict between SAF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), although that conflict has diminished since 2019.
Human rights groups and opposition parties have condemned the arrests. The Nuba Mountains Lawyers Union described the situation as “racist behavior” and a violation of the detainees’ constitutional rights.
The Sudanese Congress Party also released a statement decrying the “arbitrary arrests and violations” targeting displaced civilians based on their ethnic and regional identities.
Khartoum Bahri has been a flashpoint in the broader conflict between the SAF and RSF. The RSF gained control over most of the city in 2023, but a recent SAF offensive has shifted the frontlines, causing further displacement.
Many civilians, including both Christians and Muslims, remain trapped by ongoing shelling, airstrikes, and crossfire.
As fighting continues, thousands of civilians have fled Khartoum Bahri and surrounding areas, seeking refuge in neighboring regions like River Nile State. However, the precarious military situation and shifting frontlines make safe passage increasingly difficult.
According to the International Organization for Migration, an estimated 12,000 civilians have fled southern Shendi Locality alone due to recent clashes along the border between Khartoum State and River Nile State.
The situation in Khartoum Bahri remains volatile, with both the SAF and RSF controlling different parts of the city and its surroundings. Further fighting is expected, threatening to displace even more civilians.
Who are Al Iziba Christians?
The Sudan Christian Church Al Iziba, a prominent Protestant church located in Khartoum Bahri, serves as a vital spiritual home for the Christian community from the Nuba Mountains, a region renowned for its ethnic and religious diversity.
This church, however, has faced significant challenges, particularly during the reign of dictator Omar al-Bashir, whose Islamist-leaning regime targeted religious minorities.
The congregation of Al Iziba primarily consists of ethnic Nuba Christians, a marginalized group in Sudan often met with suspicion by authorities due to the long-standing conflicts between the Sudanese government and rebel factions such as the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N).
In the midst of the ongoing civil war between General al-Burhan’s forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the church community has found itself increasingly vulnerable. Recently, several members were arrested while attempting to escape the violent clashes in Khartoum Bahri.
Allegations from SAF military intelligence claimed they were collaborating with the RSF, but these accusations remain unverified and are widely viewed as part of a broader pattern of ethnic and religious targeting.
The history of persecution faced by Al Iziba Church underscores the difficult environment for Christians in Sudan. In 2014, the church was reportedly bulldozed, a tragic act that reflected the hostility directed toward Christian communities under the previous regime.
This destruction was part of a wider campaign against Christian places of worship, particularly in urban centers like Khartoum.
Leadership at the Al Iziba Church is provided by Evangelist Al Zibair Hassan Al-Ramla, who was among those arrested during a recent wave of detentions in October 2024. Al-Ramla has been instrumental in the church’s mission to offer spiritual guidance and community support to displaced and persecuted Christians, especially those hailing from the Nuba Mountains.
In summary, the Sudan Christian Church Al Iziba stands as a crucial sanctuary for Nuba Christians in Khartoum Bahri, embodying both the resilience of the community and the significant challenges they face amid ongoing political instability and civil strife in Sudan.
