Bishop of Winchester Raises Plight of Christians Caught in Sudan’s Civil War

The Bishop of Winchester, Philip Mounstephen, has drawn attention to the plight of Sudanese Christians caught in the country’s latest civil war. Since April 2023, Sudan has been locked in conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The two factions were previously allied, and the current fighting is essentially a struggle for supremacy between two formerly allied warlords.

The source notes that the conflict is far from an exception in Sudan’s history. For most of the 70 years since independence, the country has been involved in one major civil war or another, and even periods of relative peace have been marked by near-constant regional insurgencies and conflicts.

The war is believed to be at least partly fuelled by foreign governments and militant groups from other African nations. At one point, Russia’s Wagner Group was believed to be aiding the RSF. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was accused of funnelling equipment to the RSF through an airport in Chad, an allegation the UAE denies. Christians have also petitioned the Premier League to intervene against Manchester City, which is owned by the UAE’s deputy prime minister.

In a House of Lords debate last week, Bishop Mounstephen said that churches in Sudan are being used as shelters from aerial bombardment and that both sides in the conflict have used churches for military purposes. He asked the government what assessment it had made of “the situation of freedom of religion in Sudan,” and what steps it was taking to ensure that urgent humanitarian assistance is also reaching vulnerable and historically marginalised religious communities, including in the Nuba mountains. The source notes that the Nuba mountains are home to much of Sudan’s historic Christian community. His concern for those most exposed to harm reflects a commitment to protecting the vulnerable (Psalm 82:3).

Responding on behalf of the government, Lord Wood of Anfield said the government provides £146 million in humanitarian support to Sudan every year. “We are pleased to say [the aid] is reaching millions and millions of people,” he said. He added: “We are providing help to local responders using NGOs and local organisations, including religious organisations, as partners and destinations for funding.”

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