African Council of Religious Leaders Declares September 21 as a Day of Peace for Sudan

African religious leaders have stepped in to mobilize the faithful to help end the war in Sudan by designating September 21 as an African Day of Solidarity with Sudan. The date coincides with the International Day of Peace and will be marked with prayers, masses, fasting, and peaceful demonstrations calling for an end to the war, which they described as “an open wound in the body of Africa.”

Nasr al-Din Mufreh, former Sudanese Minister of Religious Affairs, said after participating in the African Council of Religious Leaders (Religions for Peace) meeting held at the council’s headquarters in Nairobi last week, that this year’s International Day of Peace has been dedicated to solidarity with Sudan.

Mufreh explained that the council’s meeting called for marking the day through prayers, masses, fasting, organizing protests, and sending messages to embassies demanding an end to the war and to the suffering of Sudanese civilians as the conflict enters its third year.

Mufreh, regarded as one of the leading moderate voices advocating dialogue in Sudan, added that the council’s general assembly witnessed the participation of prominent leaders who emphasized strengthening peaceful coexistence, interfaith dialogue, and peacebuilding in Sudan, urging military leaders on both sides to place the country’s higher interests above political gains.

At the conclusion of the general assembly meetings (Nairobi, August 11–12), religious leaders described Sudan’s war as “an open wound in the body of Africa” and called for September 21 to be observed as a day to “restore life to Sudan through prayer, fasting, supplication, and action.”

The African Council of Religious Leaders, founded in 2018 in Nigeria and headquartered in Nairobi, brings together religious leaders from across Africa representing different faiths and traditions, including Muslims, Christians, Jews, and indigenous African religions.

The council seeks to promote interfaith dialogue, foster a culture of peace and tolerance, provide psychosocial support to those affected by conflict, and strengthen the role of religious leaders in political and social mediation.