Following the fall of El Fasher in Sudan, Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has spoken to a local believer about the situation on the ground in the country.
Sudan is currently in a state of civil war between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The RSF siege of El Fasher began in April last year and concluded last weekend when the SAF withdrew.
Both sides, who effectively represent two rival warlords, have been accused of carrying out attacks on civilians during the siege. Millions of civilians have been displaced by the conflict. During the siege the RSF turned refugee camps into military bases.
ACN spoke to Mariam Ibrahim, a Sudanese mother who in 2014 was sentenced to death and to 100 lashes. Her alleged crimes were apostasy and adultery, although her real 'crime' was refusing to renounce the Christian faith she had been brought up in.
“I was accused because I grew up as a Christian, because I practiced my faith, and because I married a Christian man," she said.
"That was considered a crime. I spent Christmas 2013 in prison. I discovered I was pregnant just before being jailed. That first night in the cell I was terrified and could only pray.
“My mother had passed away, my father’s family rejected me, and the media called me ‘unclean’, ‘infidel’ and ‘deserving of death’.”
During her time in prison Ibrahim would cut out pages of the Bible so that she could hide them in her hair and read them in the bathroom.
“That was the only place I could open it without being discovered. I still carry that prison Bible with me everywhere I go. When people ask me how to pray for the persecuted, I say: pray that they find access to God’s Word.
“In many countries, owning a Bible is seen as an act of terrorism. But the Bible is not a threat – it is the story of salvation for all people.”
Ibrahim was eventually released thanks to assistance from the Italian government and international pressure.
According to ACN’s latest report, Religious Freedom in the World, persecution in Sudan has worsened in recent years due to its authoritarian government and Islamic extremism. The report also states that two thirds of the world’s population, around 5.4 billion people, live in countries with “serious violations of religious freedom”.
