Sudan conflict: Five injured in attack on Omdurman church; warring sides blame each other

Worshippers were attacked in a church during mass on Sunday (May 14) as the fighting between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been going on for a month. Five people were injured including a priest, and the warring factions blamed each other for the attack on the Mar Girgis (St George) Church in Omdurman.

In a statement, Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said the paramilitary forces fired bullets at Christian worshippers at the church, the news agency AFP reported.The RSF, meanwhile, blamed the army for the attack "that caused serious injuries among worshippers." In a statement, the RSF said that an extremist group affiliated with the army was responsible.

Christians in Sudan have suffered decades of persecution under Omar al-Bashir's regime, and several high-ranking officials of which returned to power following a coup in 2021.

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According to government figures, Christians represent only three per cent of Sudan's population. However, Christian leaders have said the figure is much higher.

The conflict in Sudan started on April 15 between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who now leads the RSF.

And on Monday, the conflict entered its first month with no end to the fighting in sight despite multiple truce deals between the warring factions. Sudan's capital city Khartoum has become a desolate war zone with gun battles raging in the dusty, deserted streets outside.

Fighting continued on Monday morning with loud explosions heard across Khartoum. Speaking to AFP, a southern Khartoum resident said, "The situation is becoming worse by the day. People are getting more and more scared because the two sides... are becoming more and more violent."

Over 750 people have died in the conflict with thousands more wounded and nearly a million people displaced, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.

Last week, the United Nations (UN) said that around 200,000 people fled Sudan in the month of fighting. "As violence in Sudan continues for a fourth week, nearly 200,000 refugees and returnees have been forced to flee the country, with more crossing borders daily seeking safety," UN refugee agency spokesperson Olga Sarrado told reporters on May 12.

(With inputs from agencies)

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