SAF airstrike on church in Khartoum North kills 11 including eight children

At least 11 people, including eight children, were killed in a Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) airstrike on Al Ezba, Khartoum North, on 20 December.

The airstrike damaged the Al Ezba Baptist Church, the church’s nursery, and residential buildings. The nursery was open at the time, which resulted in the high number of children killed in the attack.

The attack occurred as communities in some parts of the country were celebrating the sixth anniversary of the December 2018 revolution that ended Omar Al Bashir’s 30-year rule during which Christian communities and churches were targeted by the state. In 2015, 12 women were arrested as they left the Al Ezba Baptist Church and were charged with public order offences of indecent dress.

The church’s pastor, Philemon Hassan, said: ‘We pray for God to give the two warring parties the wisdom to stop the war. The longer it continues, the more innocent children and civilians will die. In Al Ezba area people are dying either in this way or for the lack of basic humanitarian needs. Some can’t afford to leave the area, and those who can, are afraid to leave because they could be arrested for falsely being affiliated with the RSF.’

In October over 100 Christians from the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC) fled Al Ezba due to rising insecurity in the area and travelled to Shendi in River Nile State, where 26 men were arrested by the Military Intelligence Unit and accused of being affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The latest attack in Al Ezba is among a growing number of incidents in which places of worship and civilian infrastructure have been targeted by the SAF and RSF during the ongoing conflict. On 4 December seven people were killed in a SAF airstrike on a mosque in Khartoum North.

CSW’s Advocacy Director Dr Khataza Gondwe said: ‘We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those who were killed and injured in this airstrike. It is particularly deplorable that most of the fatalities were children who died in a place where they should have been safe. The high number of child casualties illustrates the continuing disregard for civilian lives by both warring parties throughout this conflict. In addition, the persistent targeting of places of worship violates international humanitarian and human rights law egregiously, and may constitute a war crime, especially when these premises are being used to meet the sharp rise in humanitarian needs generated by the ongoing conflict. CSW continues to call on both the SAF and the RSF to agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, to ensure the protection of civilians, and to bring an end to the severe human rights and humanitarian crises in the country.’