Sudan: new attack on an Omdurman mosque – sheikh denies desecration of shrines

Sheikh Mohamed El Fateh denied digging up shrines in the Sheikh Gariballah Mosque in Omdurman, indicating that what the video clips showed, is not a dig up of shrines, but rather an internal construction after the elevation. At the same time, he confirmed that the mosque had been subjected to a new attack.

Videos circulated on social media showing that the mosque was vandalized and the graves attached to it were exhumed, which sparked widespread condemnation.

Ibrahim El Mirghani, a leader in the mainstream Democratic Unionist Party, said in a post on the X platform that what happened is a crime that proves and confirms the seriousness of extremism and terrorist groups in Sudan, and said that terrorist groups are now part of the forces in the field, pointing to beheadings, digging up graves in mosques and attacking the tombs of the righteous.

But Sheikh Mohamed Gariballah said in a statement yesterday evening that during the period of reconstruction of the mosque, the floor of the dome was raised to about two meters, similar to the mosque building geometrically, pointing to the reconstruction of the shrines of the sheikhs from their roof to rise to the level of the new architecture, with covered from the top with a light cover, indicating that bridging all this gap may lead to the demolition of shrines.

New assault

He said at the same time that the mosque was subjected to a new attack that led to an explosion in the guesthouses and the burning of the mosque’s chapel.

Another video clip showing an explosion inside the dome that led to the exposure of the wooden cover above the height, while the building appeared under it intact and did not even demolish the bricks, indicating that the force of the explosion reached the top of the dome and led to the cracking of the internal whiteness, and pointed out that there is no crumple of dirt next to the shrines, which he considered evidence of not touching or trying to dig up  .

Previous videos, before the latest attack, showed the partial safety of the mosque and its annexes and dome.

Sheikh Mohamed Gariballah, head of the Sammaniya Sufi sect, confirmed their intention to address the matter in a small scope. He said that they preferred to remain silent despite their knowledge of the new attack at the time and before the appearance of the last clip in the media, and warned that they prevented filming and publication to avoid what he described as sedition.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) recently took control of the area where the mosque is located after fierce battles with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Other places of worship

Since the outbreak of the war in April, a large number of places of worship have been bombed, attacked and abused, and videos recently circulated, showed Islamist groups fighting in the army turning a mosque into a military barracks, carrying weapons and chanting “Islamic only”, and other clips showed RSF troops entering the a chapel with a Land Cruiser.

In some cases, place of worship have been turned into military headquarters for the parties to the war.

In January this year, unknown assailants set fire to Sudan’s Evangelical Presbyterian Church at the church’s headquarters in Wad Madani, capital of El Gezira, destroying more than 100-year-old religious and historical facilities. The church considered the incident to be intended to spread hatred.

In July 2023, the African Centre for Peace and Justice Studies documented the destruction of 16 mosques, raids on and looting of four churches and the denial of worshippers from entering. The attacks also killed and injured worshippers during the war between the army and the RSF.

A mosque destroyed in El Geneina, West Darfur during the clashes in the city – Source Social Media

The report pointed out that the shelling by SAF of residential areas occupied by the RSF led to the partial destruction of at least 16 mosques and the death of five civilians.

The RSF also raided four churches and harassed worshippers and church leaders who had gathered to pray. 

Battles in Khartoum North destroyed 12 mosques and killed five people. In Omdurman, two mosques were bombed in Mohandesin and Ombadda.

In Khartoum, the attacks targeted mosques in the Burri, El Manshiya, and El Azhari neighbourhoods. The RSF in Khartoum raided at least four churches.

On April 17, 2023, a group of RSF soldiers raided the Sudanese Episcopal Church located on one highway in Khartoum’s Amarat neighborhood. The group broke the locks of the main gate and entered the building. Peace offices and meeting rooms were destroyed,  a church car was stolen and another belonging to the bishop was destroyed. The RSF also took over the building and turned it into a military base.

On May 3, the Coptic Church in Khartoum North was stormed and looted.

Image of the attack on St. George’s Church in Omdurman in May 2023

Ten days later, a group of six armed men dressed in RSF uniforms raided the Mar Jirjis (Saint George) Church located in the El Masalma neighbourhood of Omdurman where at least 40 people gathered for prayer. The attackers demanded gold and money. Five people, including the bishop and his son, were wounded by gunshot wounds in the legs. They threatened the bishop and forced him to give them cash and hand over his car. They also threatened to kill him if he did not convert to Islam. They also ordered worshippers in the church to convert to Islam.

On May 14, a group of masked gunmen raided the Church of Our Lady of the Nile in central Khartoum.  They threatened the archbishop and expelled them from the church building. The group later turned the building into a military base.