Sudan (MNN) — Serving in a war zone has cost a Christian relief worker in Sudan five months of captivity as of this week to a rebel group.  

Sudan is currently embroiled in a three-year civil war, but the stories of the current opponents in the conflict reach further back. South Sudan split from Sudan in 2011. In that north-south conflict, one group fighting for South Sudan’s independence was the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).

“A lot of the [SPLA] fighters actually stayed in South Sudan,” says Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs, Canada. “But a number of them formed a splinter group, and they started fighting more in the Nuba Mountain region [of Sudan], looking for independence.” 

That splinter group added “North” to the end of their name, becoming the SPLA-N. Today, they are allied with the Rapid Support Forces against the Sudanese Armed Forces, both of which are Islamist groups. 

SPLA-N controls the Nuba Mountains region, which is where Christian aid worker Najwa Musa Konda was traveling from when militants arrested her on April 1, according to a report from Morning Star News. 

The incident is, unfortunately, not surprising. Brobbel says war has been escalating in the Nuba Mountains.

Portrait of family standing outside a traditional straw hut in a rural village in Sudan. (Photo courtesy of Faruk Tokluoğlu via Pexels)

“Since late 2025, we started hearing reports by Christian advocacy groups of drone strikes in the region, and a number of people were killed in those things — civilians, schoolchildren,” he says. 

Kidnappings or restrictions on Christian aid workers are strategic for militant groups, “because the work that they’re doing [is] actually helping the community, bringing peace,” says Brobbel. “And it limits the controls and objectives of these rebel groups that are seeking to exert their control into the region.” 

Meanwhile, Najwa Musa Konda’s family has not heard from her since her arrest in April. 

Pray for God to bring peace into Sudan’s turmoil, and ask Him to work powerfully in this Christian woman’s time of captivity. Brobbel says to pray that leaders in Sudan will seek the true good and flourishing of their people.

You can help Voice of the Martyrs, Canada stand with frontline Christians. By partnering with this ministry, you help to provide practical aid, biblical resources, and spiritual support. Connect with them at vomcanada.com to take that step. 

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