Sudan (MNN) — Christian and Muslim leaders from Sudan’s Nuba Mountains are calling for an end to fighting following a three-day consultation in Yida, South Sudan.

Representatives from the new Sudanese Council of Churches and the Islamic Council of the Nuba Mountains met earlier this week to discuss the conflict’s impact on communities. Learn more here.

War comes to Kordofan

This spring, the Nuba Mountains emerged as a new front in Sudan’s civil war. Previously isolated from the wider war, fighting began in Kordofan state when the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) aligned with the Rapid Support Forces.

Members of the SPLA.
(Photo: Flickr / United Nations (CC) via VOM Canada)

Floyd Brobbel with The Voice of the Martyrs Canada says the roots of today’s conflict stretch back decades.

“We can remember, prior to 2011, the long-standing war between the North and the South. What emerged from that conflict was the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), which was fighting for independence,” Brobbel says.

“A number of them formed a splinter group, and they started fighting more in the Nuba Mountain region.”

Christians targeted

The Nuba Mountains region has absorbed close to 1 million people – mainly Christian refugees – since the early stages of the war. It was a relatively safe haven until SPLM-N fighters increased attacks on Christians this summer.

Fighters began killing pastors, attacking churches, and kidnapping aid workers, prompting watchdogs like VOM Canada to raise an alarm.

“Usually, those who are abducted are released. But it’s bringing pressure within religious communities, bringing pressure on Christian aid groups that are doing good work in the region,” Brobbel says.

“Rebel groups operate quite well in instability, and [these] groups will often target infrastructures that are bringing stability and peace.”

How to help

Despite oppression and persecution, churches are trying to care for people displaced by the fighting. You can send support through VOM Canada.

Sudan refugees
(Representative AI photo created by ChatGPT)

“We’re trying to help Christians in Sudan. Bibles are often a great resource; sometimes, there’s training that needs to happen, especially for church leaders,” Brobbel says.

Most importantly, pray. Praise God for the safe release of recently abducted believers. Please pray for the survivors and their loved ones, who need His comfort, strength, healing, and peace after their ordeal.

Pray that the mourning families and friends of Pastor Adel, Father Youhana, and others who were slain during the attacks will experience God’s comforting presence and sustaining grace.

“Keep praying for peace in the region,” Brobbel adds. “Sudan as a whole has experienced a lot of conflict, a lot of war.”

 

Header image depicts shell casings on the ground in the Nuba Mountains. Photo courtesy The Voice of the Martyrs USA.