Rapid Support Forces bomb three churches in El Fasher

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) bombed the Sudanese Episcopal Church in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, Sudan, on 9 June, and the African Inland Church and Roman Catholic Church in the same city on 11 June.

At least five people were killed in the three attacks, with dozens more injured. Among the casualties was Father Luka Jomo, the parish priest of the Roman Catholic Church, who was critically wounded and died on 12 June.

El Fasher, the only city in Darfur that is not under RSF control, has been under siege since April 2024 despite a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling on the RSF to end it. In April 2025 the RSF seized the Abu Souk and Zamzam camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), located approximately 15 kilometres from the city. The two camps form the largest IDP settlement in Sudan, housing over 700,000 people between them. Both camps have been turned into military bases by the RSF.

The RSF has repeatedly attacked churches since its conflict with the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) began in April 2023, and it continues to pressure Christians to convert to Islam on a widespread and systematic basis. The SAF has also attacked places of worship during the conflict. In December 2024 an SAF airstrike on a church in Khartoum led to the deaths of 11 people, including eight children.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW condemns the recent attacks on places of worship in El Fasher and the RSF’s continuing siege of the city in defiance of a UNSC resolution calling for its end. Both parties to the conflict are responsible for widespread and egregious human rights violations which contravene both domestic and international law, and, in the context of conflict, international humanitarian law. Attacks on places of worship during conflict are particularly egregious as such buildings are often used by vulnerable displaced civilians as places of refuge. We continue to call on Sudan’s warring parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire, and we urge the international community to increase efforts to ensure the protection of civilians in the country.’