Sudanese security forces unexpectedly demolished a Pentecostal church in a northern district of Khartoum earlier this month, stirring concern among religious leaders and human rights advocates.

According to the Christian Post, the July 8 demolition of a Sudan Pentecostal Church complex in Khartoum North without warning is being condemned by Christian leaders as a sign of escalating religious oppression under Sudan’s military rule.

At around noon on July 8, police and armed personnel arrived in the El-Haj Yousif neighborhood in East Nile District, Khartoum North. Bulldozers and trucks quickly leveled a church facility used by the Sudan Pentecostal Church, including its main worship hall and administrative offices.

Witnesses said the entire operation occurred without any prior notification or explanation. Weeks after the event, local officials stated the church fell under a broader plan targeting buildings deemed “unregulated” infrastructure in Khartoum state.

Leaders within Sudan’s Christian community sharply disputed this rationale, citing a pattern of discrimination and religious suppression. Church members pointed out that authorities did not request to see legal ownership documents before the demolition began.

Church community speaks out against targeting

Rafat Samir, chairman of the Evangelical Community Council for Sudan, expressed deep concern about a trend of systematic targeting. He warned that military forces could continue directly attacking smaller churches on Khartoum’s outskirts while using legal justifications to dismantle larger ones within city centers.

“They will target all churches in the outlying areas of the main cities and demolish them with a direct attack,” Samir said. “As for the large churches within the city centers, they will target them by using other lawful reasons to destroy the church buildings.”

The now-demolished facility was originally built in the early 1990s and had served the Pentecostal community there for over three decades. Its removal has left congregants without a place of worship amid an already volatile civil conflict in the country.

Religious freedom setbacks after the 2019 progress

Following the fall of longtime autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019, Sudan had made strides toward religious liberty. This included repealing apostasy laws and removing penalties for converting from Islam.

However, those gains slowly reversed after military forces seized control in an October 2021 coup. Since then, incidents of violence and restrictions against minority groups, particularly Christians, have escalated across the nation.

Christian advocates point out that both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the opposing paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have previously attacked churches and Christian-owned properties since the civil war began in April 2023.

Context of ongoing civil conflict

The recent church demolition took place two months after SAF claimed in May to have “liberated” Khartoum from RSF control. Though fighting has lessened in some regions, conflict continues in the strategic city of Omdurman and elsewhere, complicating humanitarian and reconstruction efforts.

Sudan’s civil war started on April 15, 2023, as rivalries between military leaders Gen. Abdelfattah al-Burhan of the SAF and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo of the RSF derailed a planned transition to civilian government. Tens of thousands have died, and nearly 12 million people have been displaced, according to the UNHCR.

The temporary power-sharing agreement reached in March 2023 between civilian leaders and the military fell apart when disagreements arose over timelines to integrate the RSF into the national army. Burhan proposed a two-year plan, while Dagalo demanded a full decade.

Christian leaders call for resilience

Pastor Juma Sapana, a local religious leader, responded to the church's destruction with a call to faith and unity. “We urge all Christians to pray so that this strengthens us in this persecution, and pray for the church in Sudan,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

The 2025 World Watch List, published by Open Doors, now ranks Sudan as the fifth most dangerous nation for Christians—up from eighth place the previous year. The report noted that Christian homes and places of worship are frequently looted, shelled, or occupied by armed groups across the country.

“Christians of all backgrounds are trapped in the chaos, unable to flee,” Open Doors stated in its report. Such observations affirm fears that religious minorities are increasingly vulnerable amid the lawlessness of the ongoing war.

Global status and long-term concerns

Sudan’s improved reputation for religious tolerance had led the U.S. to remove the country from its “Countries of Particular Concern” list in 2019. The nation was also taken off the State Department’s Special Watch List in 2020.

However, both the SAF and RSF continue to be accused of human rights abuses, including actions likely to further marginalize religious minorities. Their Islamist backgrounds contrast with their public messaging abroad in support of democracy and religious inclusion.

With Christians making up about 4.5% of the population—some 2 million people—the faith community remains a significant but vulnerable minority in a country battered by political instability and armed conflict.