Anger as Sudan Armed Forces member sets fire to El Gedaref church

A member of the Sudanese military set fire to a church in Doka, in East Galabat in El Gedaref, on Friday. The General Union of Christian Youth condemned this “clear violation of human rights, religious freedoms, and all international covenants’.

The General Union of Christian Youth in neighbouring El Gezira condemned the burning of the Sudanese Church of Christ in Doka.

Osama Saeed, head of the union, told Radio Dabanga that a member of the regular forces set fire to the church without giving any prior justifications. The action caused the entire church and its equipment to burn down.

Saeed strongly condemned this “clear violation of human rights, religious freedoms, and all international covenants that stipulate the freedom to practice belief and worship”.

He called on the authorities to conduct an immediate investigation into the incident and bring the perpetrator to justice.

Impunity

Impunity and the lack of accountability of military forces and affiliates of the former regime have been a point of contention for years. It is common for members of the armed forces to commit crimes and never face prosecution, or for detainees to be tortured or killed in custody without ever seeing any accountability.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), the official military, is currently also Chairman of Sudan’s main governing body, the Sovereignty Council, and therefore the official head of state.

Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan took power in a military coup with his colleague Gen Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemeti’ Dagalo, who is Vice Chairman of the Sovereignty Council and Commander-in-Chief of Sudan’s biggest paramilitary, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In recent negotiations with civilian parties, the military commanders have been reportedly requesting immunity from legal prosecutions for crimes committed since the 2019 military coup, which included the June 3 Massacre and other violent crackdowns on protesters.