Christian relief worker remains in detention in Sudan's Nuba Mountains

Najwa Musa Konda, a Christian relief worker with the Nuba Relief, Rehabilitation and Development Organization, has been held by Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N) rebels for five months. Konda, a member of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, was detained on April 1 while traveling toward South Sudan. Reports indicate that militants seized a personal notebook containing entries critical of regional military leadership during her arrest. She has since been moved between detention facilities and remains without access to legal counsel or family contact.

Her family is calling for international intervention as part of a broader concern regarding the treatment of aid workers and church institutions in South Kordofan. This detention occurs amid a series of recent abductions involving church leaders in the region. The Rev. Yaqob Ibrahim Tia and Zakaria Suliman Jana, both leaders of a Sudanese Church of Christ congregation, were abducted in late July and subsequently released in early August. Local observers describe these incidents as part of an increasing crackdown on religious and humanitarian organizations operating within the conflict-affected area.