WORLD WATCH LIST

Sudan

#10

Persecution and violence come from all angles – even those you love most.

“There are not equal rights for Christians to build their churches, the way Muslims have the full right to build their mosques.”

– Abdul is a Sudanese Christian

Country
Profile

Region: Africa
Sources of persecution: Islamic Oppression
Population: 45,992,000
Christian population: 2,000,000
Religions: Islam
Leader: Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan
Score: 83

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What Does Persecution Look Like?

Persecution of Christians remains at a high level, and there are fears this will worsen amid the ongoing unrest. After Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April 2019, Sudan’s transitional government introduced exciting changes to the legal framework guaranteeing basic human rights for all, no matter their ethnicity, gender, or religion.

However, mass protests led to the resignation of the then Prime Minister in January 2022, and there are fears that Sudan will return to the authoritarian years of the former president.

Social attitudes towards Christians have not changed. Christians are still vulnerable to extreme persecution from both their communities and their own families, particularly if they have converted from Islam. Converts may face sexual assault and domestic violence in their homes, as well as being vulnerable to imprisonment.

Who Is Most Vulnerable To Persecution?

The most vulnerable Christians are those who have converted from Islam – this was once punishable by death in Sudan. Although the death penalty for leaving Islam has now been abolished, there are fears that it could be reinstated.

Geographically, pressure and violence towards Christians has always been more intense outside the capital, Khartoum. In Darfur, the Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile regions of the country, where armed conflict is ongoing, violence against Christians is particularly serious.