ACI Africa, CNA—A U.K.-based human rights foundation condemned the forced conversion of Christians to Islam in Sudan following the arbitrary arrest of 12 Christian men by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) military intelligence unit.
The 12 men were part of a group of 26, most of whom are Christians and were reportedly detained at a building run by the Sudanese Church of Christ. Although 14 were released between Oct. 12 and 13, the rest are still under the detention of SAF, which has been fighting with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023.
In a report on Oct. 14, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) condemned the detention of the 12 and the forceful conversion of Christians to Islam in various Sudanese villages. 
“We call on the RSF to cease its efforts at forcible conversion, which have been occurring on a widespread and systematic basis since the beginning of the ongoing conflict,” CSW founding president Mervyn Thomas said.
CSW reported that the detained Christians, primarily from the Moro Nuban tribe in Sudan’s South Kordofan State, have long faced both religious and ethnic discrimination. The Almudada unit of the military intelligence that is holding them is known for being notorious in the use of torture, according to the report.
According to CSW, Christians in the village of Al Thora Mobe in Gezira state are being coerced into converting to Islam by the RSF. The village, home to Christian refugees from the Nuba Mountains since 2011, has been under RSF control since December 2023.
Meanwhile, their families, including at least 25 women and 54 children, remain in a dire humanitarian situation, forced to stay in the overcrowded Sudanese Church of Christ building.
According to CSW, the men were members of the church in Al Ezba, Khartoum North. They had fled their homes along with approximately 100 other church members as fighting between SAF and RSF escalated.
These Christians sought refuge in Shendi only to face arrests that started Oct. 6, with groups detained over several days until Oct. 11. The men are said to have been subjected to harassment, physical assault, and interrogation with accusations of being RSF affiliates.
In the report, Thomas expressed concern over the situation of the detained 12, saying: “We are deeply concerned by the arrest and detention of these men, who simply sought refuge for themselves and their families, yet have been subjected to unjust detention, unwarranted assaults, and interrogation.”
He called for the immediate release of those still detained and raised alarm over the conditions of their detention, which include denial of family or lawyer visits and the lack of formal charges. Thomas urged both the SAF and RSF to adhere to international humanitarian law and to respect their international obligations under the Jeddah Agreement.
“The war has contributed to an abundance of fear, hunger, thirst, loneliness, sicknesses, etc. in the hearts and lives of people,” he said.
At Dar Mariam, the priest is only allowed two hours of internet connectivit
y every day. He tries as much as possible to update the world on the situation of the community whenever he accesses the internet.
Dar Mariam has experienced at least four attacks, some leading to injuries and massive destruction of the community.
Thelekkadan explained that though the war started last April in Khartoum, it gradually spread to the other cities and areas of Sudan. He says that by June 2023, heavy artillery fire, bombings, and explosions began to be heard in Shajara, too, causing fear in the residents of Dar Mariam.
“By the end of July 2023, many residents of Shajara began to move out of Shajara,” Thelekkadan told ACI Africa, adding that by October 2023 people around Dar Mariam preferred to leave their poor homes and live within the Dar Mariam complex for greater safety and security.
Nov. 3, 2023 – What happened in Dar Mariam?
Nov. 3, 2023, was an unforgettable day for the residents of Dar Mariam, according to Thelekkadan, who explained that “a deadly bomb exploded in the residence of the sisters, destroying three rooms and other properties of the residents. But the providence of God reigned even at this tragic moment. One sister, a volunteer teacher, three children, and their mother sustained injuries from this 
bombing, though not life-threatening.”
Two days after the first attack, another bomb destroyed the classrooms on the first floor adjacent to the sisters’ residence.
On Nov. 10, 2023, an evacuation process that had been arranged for the people at Dar Mariam had to be abandoned due to a shooting incident.
The community fell under another attack on Dec. 10, 2023, when sniper fire caused heavy flames and burned all the rooms and what was inside them on the second floor of the sisters’ residence.
Divine Providence
“Once again, divine providence did not allow any harm to any of the residents in Dar Mariam,” Thelekkadan recounted.
He said that by the end of December 2023, Shajara had been surrounded by the RSF forces, causing the closure of markets, shops, pharmacies, and other amenities. Hunger befell Dar Mariam owing to these closures, and the sisters struggled to feed the people who were seeking refuge there.
According to Thelekkadan, the cutting off of electrical power since May 2023 has aggravated the suffering of the residents of the community.
He said that with the unavailability of charcoal and cooking gas, some generous residents leave Dar Mariam at the risk of their own lives searching for dry branches of trees to gather as firewood to cook food.
Everyday food in the community is porridge made from flour or lentils, “keezra” (a kind of pancake) made of “shorgum” flour, or rice. Without any vegetables like onions and potatoes, without any type of fruit, without meat or eggs, many residents, especially children, have become malnourished and very weak, the priest said.
Additionally, he said, the inability to foresee an end to the war is increasing the psychological trauma of many people who are stuck in Sudan.
RELATED RESOURCES:
In midst of brutal war, Sudanese Catholic community says ‘relationship with God has grown’ — Catholic Business Journal
Civil war in Sudan: What’s happening and why? — Catholic Business Journal
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