Christian advocacy group Open Doors has warned of escalating violence targeting church leaders and congregations in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan, after multiple killings, kidnappings and attacks in recent months amid the wider civil war.
One of the most recent incidents involved Episcopal pastor Adel Idris Jongool, who was shot and killed on 24 July in the Dabi administrative unit of Heiban district by fighters from a breakaway faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N). Open Doors reported that six civilians were also shot dead in the same area the previous day, underscoring the broader impact on local communities. In a separate attack, militants targeted an Anglican seminary in the Nuba Mountains that serves local dioceses, abducting dozens of worshippers; advocates say 32 hostages have since been released, but an unknown number remain missing.
The July killing of Pastor Jongool followed a deadly assault on a Catholic parish in Kauda on 19 June, when a priest and two church guards were shot dead and a fourth guard was wounded. Christian Solidarity Worldwide described the attack as part of several months of violence between predominantly Christian tribes in the region, noting that fighters from the Otoro tribe looted the church in Kauda for the second time in as many days before the killings.
The violence around South Kordofan’s Christian communities has also included air attacks by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). On Christmas Day 2025, a SAF drone strike on a group of Christians travelling to celebrations in the Biyam Jald area of the Nuba Mountains killed at least 11 people and wounded 18 others, according to Christian sources cited by rights monitors. Testimonies gathered by regional media and advocacy organisations say the strike hit civilians heading to the Episcopal Church in Julud rather than a military target. Weeks earlier, in November 2025, drones struck a health centre in Komo, also in South Kordofan, reportedly killing dozens of people, including schoolchildren, and injuring many more.
Sudanese church leaders have been increasingly vocal about the impact of the conflict on believers in the Nuba Mountains. Rafat Samir, general secretary of the Sudan Evangelical Alliance, told international media that the Nuba region, where many of his churches are located, has been “under siege and bombing every day” for months and that church, hospital and school facilities were recently bombed after Christmas. His comments reflect wider reports that churches have been shelled, looted and occupied by armed groups, leaving congregations displaced or worshipping under constant threat.
Open Doors’ World Watch List 2026 ranks Sudan as the fourth most difficult country in the world for Christians, citing a sharp rise in killings, sexual violence and attacks on homes and businesses as war spreads into areas like the Nuba Mountains. The organisation’s country dossier notes that warring parties have used churches as military positions and that many Christians are trapped in the fighting, unable to flee to safer regions.
International agencies have documented ethnically driven violence against Nuba communities in the Kordofan states, including killings, kidnappings, unlawful detentions and forced displacement, carried out by both Rapid Support Forces and army-aligned militias. In its June statement on the Kauda church attack, Christian Solidarity Worldwide urged a thorough investigation and accountability for those responsible, while persecution watchdogs such as Open Doors continue to collect testimonies and press for greater protection of Christian minorities as the Sudanese conflict shows no sign of easing.
Image Credits:
• he large mud brick temple, known as the Western Deffufa in the ancient city of Kerma, Sudan via Wikimedia Commons by walter callens with usage type - Creative Commons License
Featured Image Credit:
• he large mud brick temple, known as the Western Deffufa in the ancient city of Kerma, Sudan via Wikimedia Commons by walter callens with usage type - Creative Commons License