Faith
Sudanese Pastor, Believers Detained Amid Persecution
Faith Facts
- Police in North Khartoum arrested Pastor Peter Perpeny and four other South Sudanese Christians during a funeral prayer.
- The arrested Christians are detained without charges and face threats of heavy fines or imprisonment, while fears of persecution run high among the Christian community.
- Sudan’s conflict has escalated violence and oppression against believers, with recent years seeing a rollback of religious freedoms.
Faithful Christians in North Khartoum were targeted as they gathered to honor a loved one, highlighting the cost of Christian witness in hostile environments. Police detained them as foreigners allegedly in the country illegally, pressing on with tactics that stoke fear among Christians in Sudan.
The crackdown extends to door-to-door searches, leading many believers to remain in hiding for safety, while women face demands for exorbitant payments to secure release. Extremists now use social media to encourage further arrests, amplifying the sense of vulnerability within the Body of Christ.
“In fact, there is a growing fear among the South Sudanese Christians, so they remain indoors in order to avoid being arrested,” said the area church leader whose name is withheld for security reasons.
The region’s ongoing violence, including attacks on churches by both government and paramilitary forces, has devastated Christian communities who suffer as the conflict rages on. The 2025 World Watch List cites Sudan as one of the deadliest countries for Christians, reporting targeted attacks, displacement, and the destruction of homes and places of worship.
The struggle for control between rival Islamist military factions has kept the nation in turmoil, reversing prior gains in religious liberty. Christians now face renewed oppression reminiscent of previous eras of harsh Islamic law and are once again targeted by both politicians and radicals.
“Christians of all backgrounds are trapped in the chaos, unable to flee. Churches are shelled, looted and occupied by the warring parties,” the Open Doors report stated.
Government changes, from fleeting reforms after Bashir’s fall to restrengthened persecution after the 2021 coup, serve as stark reminders of the fragility of freedom when it is not rooted in respect for God-given rights.
Despite comprising only 4.5% of the population in a nation of over 43 million, Sudan’s Christians continue to stand firm in faith while calling for prayer and international support. As scripture calls us to remember those in chains for the Gospel, let us not be silent.
Stand with our brothers and sisters in Sudan by sharing the truth, praying for their deliverance, and advocating for religious liberty rooted in Biblical principles.