A rebel militant faction backed by Islamic extremist groups in Sudan on Friday (July 24) killed a pastor in South Kordofan state’s Nuba Mountains, area church sources said. The militants were targeting church leaders and other civilians out of both tribal and religious animosity, they said. The attack followed an attack in Heiban town on Thursday (July 23) that reportedly left an unknown number of Christians dead and other church leaders abducted. “We urge all parties involved in the conflict [between the SPLA-N and its break-away faction] to respect church leaders and religious institutions” Kuku said. Both military leaders have Islamist backgrounds while trying to portray themselves to the international community as pro-democracy advocates of religious freedom.