A Christian man has been killed and four others seriously injured in a mob attack in Sudan in north east Africa.
Mariel Bang, 35, was murdered after a group of young Muslims attacked the group of Christians with knives and batons in the Shagla area of Omdurman, west of the capital, Khartoum, on 20th June.
Bang is survived by his wife and four children. According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), another man and three women were seriously injured in the attack, which is just the latest in a series of brutal attacks in Khartoum this month. One such assault took place during evening prayers on 6th June, when the imam of a local mosque in the Al-Jerif East neighbourhood in Eastern Khartoum called on worshippers to “cleanse” the “Muslim area” of Christians.
The call to arms resulted in a number of mob attacks the next day which resulted in scores of injuries. One incident occurred at the local market where a group of Christians were targeted with batons and rifles. An 18-year-old, Ariere Sathor, was badly hurt.
Of the latest attack, CSW’s chief executive Mervyn Thomas said: “We extend our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr Mariel, and wish those who were injured in this series of attacks a speedy recovery. These attacks highlight the identity-based divisions nurtured by the previous regime, which has permeated society, and which lies at the core of the armed conflicts that ignited across the country during that era.
"They should also serve as a reminder to the international community of the continuing vulnerability of religious and ethnic minorities, and of the necessity for economic assistance to be accompanied by legal and political reform. We urge the Sudanese Transitional Government to begin the erosion of the impunity surrounding ethnic and religious hatred by ensuring that the instigators and perpetrators of these particular crimes are held accountable.
"We also call on members of the international community who have pledged to assist Sudan to also prioritise technical and financial assistance for the reforming of laws and practices that underpin the residual, societal hostility that occasions violence and threats of violence.”