The Archbishop of Khartoum reports the Episcopal Church of Our Savior in Omduraman was destroyed by shelling on All Saints Day. The Most Rev. Ezekiel Kondo, Primate of the Episcopal Church of Sudan and Bishop of Khartoum reported the 81 year old church, which is shared for worship with the Evangelical Church of Sudan, was hit by three bombs or artillery shells on 1 Nov 2023 at approximately 9:00 pm, destroying the facility.
On 15 April 2023 fighting erupted between the army and the paramilitary forces for control of the government. The Anglican Cathedral in Khartoum came under attack on 17 April 2023 as elements of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Force (RSF) clashed in a bid for control of the capital.
The fighting between the SAF, led by Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, and the RSF headed by Lt Gen Mohamed ‘Hemeti’ Dagalo, has been characterized by the military government as an attempted coup by the RSF.
The UN Mission in Sudan reports an estimated 10,000 people have died in the fighting, which has divided the country, with the Rapid Support Forces controlling Darfur and isolated pockets in major cities, while the army controls the north and the majority of the capital. I
According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), “Most of the buildings registered to the Evangelical Church in the surrounding area were confiscated under the rule of Omar al-Bashir, and the latest shelling took place approximately three weeks after similar bombings of the Evangelical Commercial School and the Evangelical Secondary School, both in Omdurman.”
Archbishop Kondo told Christianity Today Our Savior “has been a place of worship for the last 81 years or so … We will update you as to who might be responsible for this barbaric act between the two warring parties.”
