[Today’s Prayer] Reports of massacres escalate in civil war-torn Sudan… UN: “Into a darker hell”

Reports continue to emerge that in key cities of western Darfur, Sudan, controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), civilians are experiencing mass killings and other harms.

According to The Guardian, on the 30th (local time), at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council held in New York, senior UN officials testified that after the RSF captured Al-Fashir, the last stronghold in western Darfur, the local situation had turned into an “even darker hell.”

Marta Ama Akhia Phoebe, UN Deputy Special Representative for Africa, said, “The situation is truly horrific.”

She said, “Last week, the UN Human Rights Office recorded that widespread and serious human rights violations are being committed in Al-Fashir and surrounding areas,” and that there are reliable reports that mass killings and summary executions are taking place in multiple areas.

Phoebe explained, “Communications have been cut off and the situation is very chaotic. Under these circumstances, it is difficult to estimate civilian casualties. Despite promises to protect civilians, no one in Al-Fashir is safe. There is no safe route for civilians to leave the city.”

She also added, “External support is fueling the conflict. Weapons and combatants continue to flow into Sudan, worsening an already desperate situation.”

Tom Fletcher, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian and Emergency Relief, also stated at the meeting, “Al-Fashir, which was already a site of catastrophic human suffering, has now descended into an even darker hell.”

Fletcher mentioned reports that approximately 500 people were killed in a hospital in Al-Fashir and that tens of thousands are fleeing to nearby Tawila. He also added that civilians, including women and children, are exposed to the risks of violence and abduction.

(Omitted)

Since gaining independence in 1956, Sudan has experienced frequent civil wars and political instability. The civil war between the government forces and the RSF has continued for over 30 months.

The Sudanese government controls the eastern, northern, and central regions, while the RSF controls the western and southern regions, facing off against each other.

Recently, the RSF drove out the government forces and captured Al-Fashir, and reports indicate that mass killings of civilians have continued on the ground since then.

Source: Nate News

“I cried out to the Lord in my distress, and He answered me.” (Psalm 120:1)

Lord, we hear the news that in key cities of Darfur, Sudan, controlled by the RSF, civilians are suffering mass killings, summary executions, and other severe harm.

Because of over 30 months of civil war between the government forces and the RSF, it is difficult to estimate civilian casualties, and there are no safe routes for civilians to escape the cities. We also hear that Al-Fashir, which was already at a catastrophic level of human suffering, has now descended into an even darker hell.

God, we know that You are watching over the Sudanese people, who have no protection and are exposed to the risks of death, violence, and abduction.

We trust that You know their suffering and fear, and that You hear their cries.

Not only themselves, but also their loved ones and acquaintances have long been exposed to the risks of violence and abduction. They cannot seek help anywhere, trembling in fear, and have no way to escape the city. Lord, have mercy on them.

You understand the anguish of having to watch loved ones die and suffer daily, while receiving no assistance from the government and enduring indiscriminate hardship.

We pray that Sudan will come before You, cry out, and seek Your help. Let them encounter the God who answers cries and delivers in the midst of suffering.

We also pray that the global Church will grieve together and pray, so that all news of death and terror in Sudan is broken, and the message of Jesus Christ is proclaimed.

Lord, visit the regions in distress, provide help, and work in them. May the people of Sudan confess that the one who can truly save is not the world, but only Jesus Christ.

Hear our cries and deliver them from suffering. May Sudan rise as a nation that loves and seeks Jesus alone, boldly testifying and proclaiming Him.