Clerics demand immediate action as Sudan war spirals out of control
By Ahmed Idriss
Africa’s top religious leaders have issued an urgent call for intervention in Sudan’s devastating conflict, warning that the world’s inaction is fuelling a catastrophe that threatens to engulf the region. At a high-level interfaith summit in Nairobi, Muslim imams, Christian bishops, and traditional faith elders unanimously condemned the international community’s tepid response to what they described as “a war of greed, not ideology.”
The 5th General Assembly of the African Council of Religious Leaders – Religions for Peace (ACRL-R/P) singled out foreign powers for profiting from Sudan’s mineral wealth while civilians endure starvation and mass rape.
Delegates revealed concrete plans to bypass failed diplomatic channels. A coalition of Sufi sheikhs with ties to both warring factions will attempt direct mediation with SAF leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Simultaneously, Coptic and Anglican bishops secured commitments from South Sudanese and Chadian religious leaders to establish cross-border sanctuaries for rape survivors and child soldiers escaping the conflict.
The crisis in Eastern DRC received nearly equal attention. The leaders condemned the ongoing violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo and committed to mobilising interfaith solidarity to address urgent humanitarian needs while advocating for lasting peace. They reaffirmed the right of all individuals and communities to worship freely, including adherents of African Traditional Religions, and called for stronger legal protections for religious diversity.
The Assembly also denounced all forms of xenophobia and discrimination, including the reported denial of healthcare to African diaspora in South Africa, and urged the promotion of solidarity, hospitality, and mutual care across African nations.
The Nairobi Declaration sets September 21 as a continent-wide day of civil disobedience, with planned shutdowns of mines and arms shipment hubs across Africa. Whether this unprecedented show of clerical force can alter the trajectory of Sudan’s nightmare remains uncertain, but the message to warlords and their backers was clear: the saints are done turning the other cheek.
