Sudan (MNN) -- Sudan's war reaches a tipping point as Rapid Support Forces take El Fasher, the last army stronghold in Darfur. RSF forces now control all of Darfur, where they hope to establish a rival government.
According to one analyst, peace talks in Washington, D.C., give the RSF militia political cover to commit atrocities. Pastor Ibrahim, a Sudanese pastor, tells MNN, "The peace negotiations [have] always been up and down, and always end negatively."
The United Nations and regional actors call for an immediate ceasefire in El Fasher. Civilians have no access to food, water, or medical supplies, and aid workers are unable to reach them.
More than 260,000 people - including 130,000 children - have been trapped under siege in El Fasher for over a year. "Things are beyond government control," Pastor Ibrahim says.
"It's a mess everywhere in Sudan, and there is a lot of pressure."
Attributing pressure to Islamist non-military sources, Pastor Ibrahim voices concern about ceasefire resistance within Sudan. "They will not take it easy, that's really the fear," he says.
Believers throughout Sudan suffer alongside their Muslim neighbors. In some cases, the Church is at the top of the radicals' hit list. "The Church always is in the middle of the persecution," Pastor Ibrahim says.
"[The] RSF, when they came to Khartoum, one of the places they attacked immediately was the Church."
Yet hope remains. "The Bible tells us in the Book of Acts that persecution has been one of the elements of the growth and the extension of the Church," Pastor Ibrahim says.
"We can testify and tell [of] the number of unreached people who are responding to the Gospel today [compared to] the times of peace."
Pray for strength and endurance for Sudanese Christians.
"The most important prayer is that the Lord enable the churches and the ministries to stand firm and to be bold, and then seek God's guidance and protection," Pastor Ibrahim says.
Pray also for unity. "When we face difficulties from outside and we are divided inside, that makes it harder," he adds.
Header image depicts a Sudanese combatant with G3 rifle. (Photo courtesy of Steve Evans/Wikimedia Commons)