The All Saints Anglican Cathedral in Khartoum has endured significant damage amid the ongoing civil war in Sudan, as described by Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo. Despite the destruction surrounding the area, the cathedral is still standing, although its grounds have transformed into a graveyard with a damaged altar and missing pews, which have reportedly been taken for firewood by soldiers.
When the war erupted in April 2023, the cathedral served as the headquarters for Archbishop Kondo, the 67-year-old leader of the Episcopal Church of Sudan. On April 15, 2023, fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces seized control of the compound, turning it into a military base while Kondo and his family found themselves trapped inside.
“It happened very abruptly. Nobody expected it,” Kondo recounted from Port Sudan, where he has taken refuge since June of last year. He recalls the day it began, as they were in the midst of preparing for the Sunday service following Easter Sunday, when the sound of gunfire erupted nearby.
The conflict in Sudan is being waged between two factions of the military government: the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Janjaweed leader Hemedti. After the two sides jointly ousted the civilian government, they soon turned on each other.
The lack of media access and restrictions on humanitarian assistance have made it difficult to quantify the full extent of the crisis. United Nations estimates suggest that around 750,000 people are at risk of starvation, while U.S. envoy Tom Perriello has posited that the conflict could have led to as many as 150,000 deaths, although some reports indicate roughly 15,000 confirmed fatalities. More than 10 million people have been displaced by the war, contributing to what is now considered the largest displacement crisis globally, with an additional 25 million in urgent need of humanitarian aid, which represents over half of Sudan’s population.
For many individuals in this crisis, it marks the second civil war they have fled in recent years; nearly 400,000 people lost their lives in South Sudan’s clashes between 2013 and 2018.
The cathedral is situated near the army headquarters and the airport, where the conflict erupted during Ramadan the previous year. As hostilities intensified, the Rapid Support Forces moved their troops to encircle the church compound, hoping it would be safeguarded from airstrikes.
“They were at the gate and we were powerless. We couldn’t leave,” Kondo said. The families gathered in the church hall for safety, and others soon joined them, leading to three nights spent huddled together.
After three days in the cathedral’s basement without food or water, Kondo and other church leaders resolved to leave. Following tense interrogations at gunpoint, they were eventually permitted to exit. They then trekked for an hour and a half to find transportation to a less dangerous area south of Khartoum. Kondo’s family stayed there for two months before moving again as the bombardment escalated in intensity.
“One of the shells fell near where we were,” Kondo shared. This prompted him to relocate with his family to Port Sudan. “It was very difficult, but we thank God. He has been our protector.”