by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – At least 11 Christians were killed and 18 others seriously wounded when a drone operated by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) struck civilians traveling to Christmas celebrations in South Kordofan state on Dec. 25, according to local sources.
The attack occurred in the Biyam Jald area near Julud as believers were marching in a Christmas procession toward the Episcopal Church of Sudan. A local Christian attorney said the church building itself was not hit, but the congregation was directly targeted while en route.
“The church was not hit, but a congregation who were marching in procession towards the church were targeted,” the attorney told Morning Star News, requesting anonymity.
The area is controlled by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North, which has aligned with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in its conflict with the SAF. SPLM-North and the Foundation Alliance reported that the drone strike killed civilians celebrating Christmas and wounded at least 19 others.
The Christmas Day attack followed a series of deadly drone strikes in South Kordofan. On Nov. 29, an SAF drone reportedly hit a medical clinic in the Kumi area, killing 12 people and injuring 19 others, including women and children. On Dec. 5, another strike in Ghadeer locality, Kalogi, killed more than 10 children between the ages of five and seven inside a kindergarten, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund.
Sudan has been gripped by civil war since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the SAF and the RSF. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 12 million people inside Sudan and across its borders.
Christian advocacy group Open Doors reported a sharp deterioration in conditions for believers amid the violence. Its 2025 World Watch List said Christians have faced increased killings, sexual assaults, and attacks on homes, churches, and businesses.
“Christians of all backgrounds are trapped in the chaos, unable to flee. Churches are shelled, looted and occupied by the warring parties,” the report stated.
Sudan’s population is approximately 93 percent Muslim, with Christians making up about 2.3 percent, according to the Joshua Project. Both the SAF and the RSF have Islamist roots and have been accused of targeting displaced Christians on suspicions of supporting rival forces.
Sudan ranked No. 5 on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, up from No. 8 the previous year. The ranking reflects a reversal of modest gains in religious freedom following the 2019 overthrow of longtime Islamist ruler Omar al-Bashir. Those gains were largely undone after the military coup of Oct. 25, 2021.
The SAF leader, Abdelfattah al-Burhan, and RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo had jointly ruled Sudan following the coup, but disagreements over integrating the RSF into the regular army helped trigger the current war. While both leaders have sought international legitimacy by pledging democracy and religious freedom, Christian groups say persecution has intensified.
The United States removed Sudan from its list of Countries of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations in 2019 and lifted it from a special watch list in December 2020. Since the return of military rule, however, Christians say fears of state-backed persecution have resurfaced.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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