Sudan (MNN) — Today, Sudan enters year four of a brutal civil war between the army and the militia known as Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.

Fighting shows no signs of slowing down as a third faction rises to rule. John of Greater Reach Alliance says, “There’s a strong influence from the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Muslim Brotherhood is seeking to take over through the army.”

Recently designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S., the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood could seek to capitalize on an opportunity. Fractures within the army led to restructuring last week.

(Representative AI photo created with ChatGPT)

“Because of this, coordination within the army is weakened, making it harder to effectively fight the RSF,” John says.

“Our team on the ground thinks it’s more likely to make the war longer than shorter.”

Hundreds of thousands of people have died since the civil war began. Millions are living in displacement camps. One in three Sudanese people needs humanitarian aid to survive.

RSF rule does not promise a brighter future. “If the RSF gains control, there’s a great fear of increased violence,” John says.

“They enacted, on behalf of the previous administration, genocide against black Sudanese tribes in Darfur and the Nuba mountains.”

Hope and help

With the help of Greater Reach Alliance, Sudanese Christians are sharing the hope of Jesus in displacement camps. Read more here.

Ask the Lord to give believers strength. Pray that the war will end soon.

“The best hope is strong international pressure for a return to the civilian leadership that was intended after Bashir was removed,” John says.

(Representative AI photo created with ChatGPT)

“They (civilian leaders) are still in the country. But it would take a very strong international intervention to make a restoration of civilian government possible,” he continues, requesting prayer for Western involvement.

“A return to some kind of civilian leadership is really the answer, because if either side of this conflict wins, the picture for Sudan continues to be extremely bleak.”

 

Header image depicts a Sudanese combatant with G3 rifle. Steve Evans, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.