Sudan's Christians are now urging for international help after seven believers were crucified by a rebel group close to the Ugandan border.

Villagers found the bodies of the Christians near the town of Nzara in south Sudan.

The Catholic Herald reported the prime suspects in the brutal murders are marauding soldiers from the Lord's Resistance Army.

The guerrillas reportedly also stormed two churches, desecrating the buildings and kidnapping several young people.

In response, a local bishop called for a three-day prayer event for Christians of all denominations in the region.

It culminated in a silent protest by more than 20,000 people who walked two miles barefoot in sack cloth and ashes to ask the government for more protection.

Todd Nettleton is a spokesman for the Voice of the Martyrs, an organization that serves the persecuted church.

Click play for his comments to CBN News on these brutal attacks and the Lord's Resistance Army.

*Original broadcast October 2, 2009.