“For God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, through him.”
As civil war and famine continue to devastate Sudan, nearly 3 million internally displaced people have fled to neighboring countries. Amid this crisis, the gospel is spreading among refugee communities. According to Mission Network News, Dr. Yasir Eric, a partner with Horizons International and a former Muslim from northern Sudan, shared that these refugees are experiencing not only geographic displacement but also deep cultural and religious transformation.
Dr. Eric explained that Sudanese refugees who have escaped to Egypt, Algeria, and Uganda are facing severe discrimination and hardship. In Egypt, racial prejudice based on skin color and background is particularly harsh. In Ethiopia, refugees are unwelcome due to political tensions, while Ugandan refugee camps suffer from extreme resource shortages—conditions made worse by the sudden surge in refugee arrivals since the civil war reignited in April 2023.
Yet in the midst of this hardship, there is revival. Among refugees from Darfur—the region that saw the most violent conflict—many are turning to Christ. Once nearly unreached, Darfuri Christians are now increasing in number across refugee communities in Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan.
Dr. Eric recently baptized 250 Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) from Darfur in a single day in Chad. He shared that many are drawn to the gospel because of their disillusionment with Islam and the love they experience from Christians. “When people see their own brothers and sisters killing each other, they begin to realize that Islam is not the answer. It’s the love of Christians that is transforming them,” he said.
These new believers still face many challenges. Dr. Eric noted that their worldview must shift, and they need healing from spiritual oppression as well as teaching in new ways of worship.
He shared his own story, recalling how he once persecuted Christians in South Sudan and witnessed genocide. After his conversion, the first thing he had to learn was how to live in peace. “What Sudan lacks is not intelligence or resources, but the understanding of how peace works,” he said.
He also revealed that behind his journey to Christ was a Christian who prayed for him faithfully for 25 years. “The answer to persecution and hatred is prayer,” he affirmed. Dr. Eric is now asking churches worldwide to pray that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) would seek true peace for the people and that many more refugees in conflict zones like Darfur would encounter the love of Christ.(Source: Gospel Prayer Newspaper Edited).
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:19-20, 27)
God, we thank You for the amazing grace You are pouring out on the displaced people of Sudan, allowing many who have suffered great trials to hear the gospel and turn to You. Have mercy on those still facing discrimination and hardship in the countries where they have fled. Through the Christians they meet, let them encounter the gospel of the cross as the power of life. Let them receive Jesus, who rescued us from the dominion of darkness, and be born again as citizens of Your kingdom. May the Church of Jesus rise up even more strongly in Sudan, bringing hope in the midst of civil war and famine. Let this nation be filled with the hope of glory and learn to walk in the true peace that only the LORD can give.
Prayer 24·365
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