Sudan Removed from US Religious Freedom’s Designations, While RSF Designated as a Concern

Washington – Sudanhorizon
Coordinated efforts, led by the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, have succeeded in convincing the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) of the level of religious tolerance in Sudan, resulting in its removal from the Commission’s four designations. However, the Commission designated the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia as an “entity of particular concern,” a move that observers believe could lead to its designation as a terrorist organization.

USCIRF presented its 2026 International Religious Freedom Report at a ceremony held at the US Capitol on Wednesday. The event was attended by the Commission’s chair and members, members of Congress, and ambassadors and representatives of diplomatic missions accredited to the United States.

The more than 100-page report by the commission, which categorizes countries, entities, and organizations into four lists based on their violations of religious freedom and respect for religious rights, stated that “the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a brutal drone strike in September (of last year) targeting a mosque in El Fasher, Sudan, killing more than 70 people.”

The report emphasized that “the religious violence perpetrated (by the RSF) in Darfur and other parts of Sudan led the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to recommend designating the RSF as an Entity of Particular Concern (EPC) for 2026.”

The report, released by the USCIRF, documents the state of religious freedom in 2025 from a U.S. perspective and provides policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress to promote religious freedom outside the United States. In a brief press statement, Commission Chair Vicki Hartzler cited China, India, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Tajikistan as some of the countries where religious freedom is most severely restricted.
She noted that a significant number of people in key countries are denied religious freedom through unjust laws, discrimination, harassment, violence, and even crimes against humanity. The report called on the U.S. government to continue promoting religious freedom abroad to make a tangible difference for those facing religious persecution.
Commission Vice Chair Asif Mahmood stated, “Religious freedom is a universal human right for everyone. Reporting on the state of religious freedom abroad is more important than ever. Government repression and non-state actor violence are on the rise in many places around the world, often resulting in the destruction of targeted religious communities and the loss of innocent lives. We urge the State Department to release its annual report on international religious freedom, identifying countries and entities that violate this fundamental freedom, to keep it at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy.”
The statement noted that the report included recommendations to the Secretary of State to designate eighteen countries as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) due to serious violations of freedom of expression and intellectual property rights, and another recommendation to designate eleven countries on the Special Watch List (SWL) for serious violations of freedom of expression and intellectual property rights. It also recommended designating seven entities as Countries of Particular Concern (EPC). Sudan was not included on any of these four lists.

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