This is not the first time that places of worship have been targeted in the war between the SAF and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began on 15 April 2023. In November 2023, the largest church in Omdurman was bombed by the SAF, while the RSF has repeatedly attacked churches. In March 2024, an SAF-affiliated Islamist militia detonated explosives inside a mosque, also in Omdurman. 

On 20 October 2024, the SAF dropped barrel bombs indiscriminately on the Sheikh El Jeili Mosque in Wad Madani, Gezira State, after evening prayers, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 30. 

SAF warplanes also killed at least 80 people in Kabkabiya, North Darfur, on 9 December. 

Meanwhile, the RSF has continued its shelling attacks on North Omdurman, one of the safest areas in Khartoum to which many civilians have fled from RSF-controlled areas. At least 70 people were killed in separate shelling attacks on 10 December alone. The RSF also reportedly burned approximately 3,000 houses in 18 villages in Kutom, North Darfur, in November. 

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘These recent attacks by the SAF and RSF show how both forces continue to intentionally and systematically target civilians. Attacks on places of worship where civilians are gathered and seek refuge constitute severe breaches of international humanitarian and human rights law and must be documented thoroughly by international bodies, including the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan. CSW continues to call on the warring parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire and to engage in peace negotiations with a view to bringing an end to Sudan’s severe human rights and humanitarian crisis.’