New Church Buildings No Longer Allowed in Sudan

ICC Note:
As Sudan continues to ratchet up its persecution of Christians, the government has announced that it will no longer be granting licenses to build new churches in Sudan. Citing abandoned buildings and stagnant church attendance, the Khartoum government says no new church buildings are needed in Sudan. Many of the Christians that did attend these churches have fled Sudan because of intense persecution. Also, Sudan has not granted new church licences recently, including 55 licences being denied in 2012 alone.                     
4/19/2013 Sudan (Christianity Today) – Citing stagnant church attendance and an increasing number of abandoned buildings, the Sudanese government has announced that it no longer will issue licenses to Christian churches.
Following the secession of South Sudan in 2011, churches in Khartoum and other northern cities have seen attendance drop as many worshipers have migrated south (not all by choice). As a result, Sudan’s minister of Guidance and Endowments, Al-Fatih Taj El-sir, says “there will be no need for new churches as the existing ones can accommodate worshipers.”
But Christian Solidarity Worldwide says the freedom to worship in Sudan is under attack, reporting “at least 55 Christians linked to the Evangelical Church in Khartoum were detained without charge” in February alone.
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