WCC News: As atrocities alarm the world, Sudanese Anglican bishops call for ceasefire, humanitarian corridors

As the international community expresses alarm over violence and executions in El-Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s north Darfur region, Anglican bishops in the troubled northeastern African country called for an immediate ceasefire and safe humanitarian corridors for aid delivery. A boy prepares the soil next to his family's home for planting in the Dereig Camp for internally displaced persons, one of many such settlements for people displaced by the violence in Darfur. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth 04 November 2025 The bishops spoke at a meeting in Kampala, Uganda, where they had converged from 27-29 October to discuss the future of the church in the current war and political situation. Sudanese people were facing a grave situation due to the conflict, warned the bishops, amidst reports of deaths due to starvation, disease, and military action.  “We call upon all parties to the conflict in Sudan to immediately cease hostilities,” said the bishops, led by Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo of the Episcopal (Anglican) Church of Sudan in a statement, which also reminded of the many deaths and displacement of people into various cities and countries.  “The war will not bring peace or development to Sudan. Fire cannot be quenched with fire: only water can make a difference.” Of greatest concern is El-Fasher, the city that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces had blockaded for 18 months since April 2024. The force had shut the city, squeezing a suffering and a starving 260,000 population between its walls and a Sudan Armed Forces brigade. Paramilitary had engaged in indiscriminate daily bombardment, artillery shelling, and drone strikes, until on 26 October when the city fell into their control. “As shepherds of God’s people, we express a deep grief and condemnation of the mass killing of civilians in all Sudan, including women and children, and all other atrocities committed by all sides across Sudan,” said the leaders. But days after the seizure, human rights and relief organizations are accusing the paramilitary of summarily executing civilians and slaughtering at least 460 people in a hospital. On target in the violence are dark-skinned Africans and non-Arab groups like the ethnic Masalit, according to the organizations, the atrocities that echo the 2003 Darfur genocide. Jan Engeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council said on 30 October that the horror unfolding in El-Fasher is beyond words. “The Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) assault on civilians and the terror inflicted on families trying to flee are indefensible. Civilians are being shelled, hospitals have been hit, and aid workers and local volunteers are being targeted,” he said in a statement that condemned, in the strongest terms, the ongoing assault on civilians, humanitarian workers, and civilian infrastructure. “There must be an immediate cessation of hostilities in and around El-Fasher, and all parties must guarantee safe movement for civilians as well as access for humanitarian aid,” he said. At the moment, no specific peace negotiation has yielded a ceasefire, but the bishop hailed all the groups working to find peace in Sudan. They urged all warring parties to accept the processes so that the country can find lasting and comprehensive peace. Also, while condemning the countries fueling the war, the bishops also implored the international community to pay urgent attention to the war, placing it among their top priorities for diplomatic and humanitarian actions. “The Episcopal Church will continue providing humanitarian assistance that it can to those affected by the war and will persist in praying for peace, healing, and reconciliation,” the bishops said. The war, which began on 15 April 2023, displaced an estimated 12 million people, with many settling as refugees in countries including South Sudan, Chad, Egypt, Uganda, and the Central African Republic. WCC expresses grave concern over violence, reported atrocities in Sudan (WCC news release, 29 October 2025) WCC member churches in Sudan See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland