Tensions are escalating.
Muslims in Sudan’s River Nile state forcibly displaced 34 displaced Christians from their homes, according to reports from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N). The Christian group, which had fled the ongoing conflict in Omdurman near Khartoum, had settled in the El Matamah area of Al-Makniya. However, Muslim residents there demanded they leave, citing religious and racial objections. The displaced Christians, who are of Nuba Mountains descent, were told they were not welcome due to their Christian faith and ethnicity.
The situation escalated when approximately 30 Muslim residents gathered at one of the Christian families’ homes and ordered them to vacate the premises. The demand grew stronger as more than 50 residents later joined the protest. Despite initial accusations of theft and breaking Islamic laws, the police reportedly acknowledged that the real reason behind the expulsion was religious intolerance. Authorities later apprehended the true perpetrators of the livestock theft, who were not Christians.
As tensions rose, the displaced Christians appealed for police intervention, but their calls for help went unanswered. One Christian, identified only as Y.M.T., stated that officials refused to take action, and when the Muslim residents sought an eviction order from the public prosecutor, it was denied due to a lack of evidence. Muslim resident Barai Khader reportedly pressured one of the Christians, Darius Yasser Hussein, to remove his cross and convert to Islam.
On October 19, the situation reached a breaking point when Muslim residents arrived at the Christians’ homes and forcibly expelled them. The Christians were displaced once again, with some fleeing to Shendi while others returned to Omdurman to escape further religious and ethnic discrimination. The displaced Christians are now facing dire humanitarian conditions, having lost their homes and livelihoods, and are calling for assistance from human rights organizations.
This incident occurs against the backdrop of ongoing conflict in Sudan, where the military conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has displaced millions of people and caused significant suffering. Since the 2021 coup that disrupted Sudan’s fragile transition to democracy, religious freedoms have been increasingly under threat, with Sudan now ranked among the top countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.