ICC Note:
While the situation continues to develop, the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church has been partially demolished and seen a portion of its 2,000 reported members arrested and, in some cases, fined by Sudanese officials. Characteristic of an alarming trend, multiple churches have been forcibly closed and demolished by Sudanese officials this year alone. Christians in and beyond Khartoum are looking to the global body of Christ for support in their continued fight for their right to gather in prayer and worship.
12/05/2014 Sudan (Mission Network News) – The government of Sudan continues its persecution of Christians. Armed police in 9 vehicles arrived at Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church in the early morning hours December 2. The authorities broke through the main gate of the compound, beating church personnel and worshippers. Two were beaten severely. 38 believers were arrested for refusing to surrender the property to authorities, eyewitnesses said.
Arab Baptist Theological Seminary reports that a Sudanese judge released them and said they had done nothing wrong, but a second judge fined each of the members 250 Sudanese guinea.
Police first attacked the Khartoum church Nov. 17 when they bulldozed through a church wall and destroyed several homes inside the church compound.
Six months ago, the Sudanese government put a ban on building new churches. According to BBC News, a Sudanese government minister said there were already enough churches for Christians.
Kori Elramla Kori Kuku, a general secretary of the Sudan Council of Churches, told Christian Century, “We have the right to have new plots of land and building of new churches. We need the churches for the growing of Sudanese Christians.”
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