Sudan (MNN) — Casualties mount as Sudan enters day six of fighting. Clashes between the military government and Rapid Support Forces militia began Saturday and have killed at least 300 people.
Pastor Richard*, a believer working with unfoldingWord in Sudan, says the military and RSF have been competing for power since 2021.
(Photo courtesy of unfoldingWord)
“There [was] a lot of mediation outside the country and inside the country to try to subside the struggle between the forces” in recent weeks, he explains.
“The fighting [started], and it is now rapidly going everywhere in Sudan.”
Yesterday, warplanes struck Khartoum’s international airport, blocking travel in and out of the country. International governments call for a ceasefire so they can coordinate evacuations.
Hospitals are running “dangerously low” on supplies, and at least nine hospitals have been bombed. Dr. Ghazali Babiker, country director for Médecins Sans Frontières in Sudan, spoke to NPR from Khartoum:
“Some hospitals are being targeted by the warring parties, forcing patients to leave still with intravenous tubes connected to their bodies. [There have been reports that wounded soldiers have been filling hospitals, which have also been hit by shelling.] We hear that ambulances have been turned back and shot at while transferring patients. Health workers are fearing for their own lives.”
Believers are not immune from Sudan’s woes. A stray bullet killed one Gospel worker, and a church in Khartoum was torched.
“One of the people working with us [on the] JESUS film [was] captured by the government, and we don’t know [his whereabouts] now, so we are praying for that,” Pastor Richard says.
“The government and the Islamists want to burn the churches [and] do atrocities amid this chaos. This is what we are fearing, and we are praying that God will protect the Church and His people.”
Millions of people are sheltering in place as fighting rages in the streets, but they’re running low on food, water, and supplies. Pray for an immediate end to the conflict.
“Let us pray for what is going to happen. We want God [to] work in this for His Gospel to be preached,” Pastor Richard says.
*Pseudonym
Header image courtesy of unfoldingWord.
