Churches in Sudan, and Africa generally, have called for peace in the country amidst the violence that broke out in April. Fighting between rival military groups intensified during the middle of the month, leading other countries to evacuate their staff and citizens as the situation threatened to escalate into full civil war.

The Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) released a statement on April 18 calling for prayers for Sudan. The statement read: “As Evangelicals, we believe in the power of prayer and urge the church to intercede for Sudan during this difficult time. We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Sudan, who are experiencing the effects of this conflict first-hand.

“We pray for peace to be restored in Sudan, for the safety and protection of all its citizens, and for the conflicting parties to pursue peaceful solutions to the ongoing crisis. We also pray for the comfort and healing for those who have lost loved ones and for the injured to receive the medical care they need. We call on the African Union in collaboration with the international community to support Sudan in finding a lasting solution to the ongoing crisis and to address the root causes of the conflict.

“Let us unite in prayer for Sudan and ask for God’s intervention in this situation.” Since South Sudan split from the country in 2011, Christians (Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Apostolic and Evangelical Presbyterian) make up less than 5% of the population of the remaining Sudan.

On April 21, the World Council of Churches (WCC) shared a statement from the Youth Office of the Sudan Council of Churches calling on the warring parties to stop fighting. “What about our sick and wounded!” the statement reads. “What about the future of our children!”

“Stopping the war is a unique choice to achieve the slogans of the revolution and serve the people of your country,” the text reads, noting that a continuing conflict will inevitably lead the country to many lives lost due to scarcity of food, the spread of diseases, insecurity, and more.

“Yes to peace as the only opportunity for self-realisation in building the desired country,” the message reads. “We demand the opening of humanitarian corridors so that citizens can be evacuated from places of war.”