Police in North Khartoum recently arrested a Presbyterian Church pastor and four other South Sudanese Christians who had gathered to perform a funeral prayer, according to church sources.
Pastor Peter Perpeny of the Presbyterian Church of Sudan, along with the other detainees, was apprehended on August 16 in the El-Haj Yousif area of East Nile District.
The arrests were reportedly made under the accusation that the individuals were in the country illegally, although no formal charges have been filed, and the detainees have not been informed of any plans for deportation.
Authorities in various parts of Sudan have begun to target foreigners for potential deportation or relocation, a practice that reportedly began earlier this month.
Church leaders said that the Christian community, particularly South Sudanese Christians, now faces heightened anxiety, as police are said to be conducting door-to-door operations and detaining South Sudanese and Ethiopian nationals.
“There is increasing fear among the South Sudanese Christians, so many are choosing to stay indoors to avoid arrest,” said a local church leader, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons.
The five Christians arrested have been taken to Omdurman Prison, where one female detainee has reportedly been told she must pay a fine of 600,000 Sudanese Pounds (approximately $995 USD) or face six months in jail. Church leaders believe the fine may be a form of bribery.
On social media, extremist Muslim groups have also called for the arrest of South Sudanese Christians, further exacerbating fears within the community.
The area where the arrests took place has been under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have been engaged in violent conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since mid-April 2023. Both groups have reportedly targeted religious sites during the ongoing violence.
Conditions in Sudan have deteriorated significantly following the escalation of the civil war that began in April 2023. According to Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List, there has been a marked increase in attacks on Christians, including killings, sexual assaults, and the destruction of Christian homes and businesses. The report highlights that churches are being shelled, looted, and occupied by warring factions.
Both the RSF and SAF are Islamist groups, and they have accused displaced Christians of supporting opposing sides in the conflict.
The war between the SAF and RSF has left tens of thousands dead and displaced more than 11.9 million people, both within Sudan and across its borders, according to the UN Commissioner for Human Rights. The violence has caused widespread suffering, particularly in Khartoum.
The military conflict in Sudan began after tensions between Gen. Abdelfattah al-Burhan of the SAF and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo escalated.
The two military figures, who had shared power following a coup in 2021, disagreed on how to integrate the RSF into the regular army, ultimately leading to the collapse of efforts to restore civilian rule.
Although both leaders claim to support religious freedom and democracy, they maintain Islamist backgrounds. In recent years, Sudan’s international image has shifted, particularly following the ousting of long-time leader Omar Al-Bashir in 2019.
During the transitional government that followed, Sudan made some progress in religious freedom, including the repeal of apostasy laws that had previously made leaving Islam a punishable offense.
However, the military coup in October 2021 reversed many of those gains, leading to increased fears of state-sponsored persecution. In fact, the U.S. State Department had removed Sudan from the list of “Countries of Particular Concern” in 2019, after progress in religious freedom, but the situation has worsened since the coup.
Sudan, which was ranked 5th on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List, continues to be one of the most difficult places in the world for Christians.
The Christian population of Sudan is estimated to be around 2 million, making up 4.5% of the total population of over 43 million people.
