ICC Note:
On December 21, Rev. Yat Michael was arrested by members of Sudan’s notorious National Intelligence Security Service after giving a sermon at the Bahri Evangelical Church in north Khartoum. The arrest follows that of the mass-arrest of 35 believers from the Sudanese Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC), Sudan’s counterpart to Rev. Michael’s South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church, who formed a human shield around the complex to protect it from demolition. The SPEC remains at the heart of an ongoing battle between Khartoum church leadership and the government of Sudan who, late last month, demolished a portion of the church allegedly purchased by investors after the SPEC’s senior leadership fled the country following South Sudan’s succession in 2011.
12/29/2014 Sudan (Morning Star News) Security personnel in Sudan have held a pastor from South Sudan since Dec. 21 after he delivered a sermon at an embattled North Khartoum church.
Agents from Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) arrested the Rev. Yat Michael of the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church after Sunday worship concluded at Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church on Dec. 21, a source told Morning Star News. At press time he remained in jail without charges.
Police in North Khartoum on Dec. 2 beat, arrested and fined 38 Christians from the church after nearly two weeks of raiding and demolishing church property. They were released later that night.
Pastor Michael had been invited to encourage the congregation to stand firm amid persecution. Besides arrests, the North Khartoum church compound has been subject to demolition of buildings and part of its worship center as Muslim investors seek to take it over.
NISS is empowered to arrest Christians, South Sudanese and others considered undesirable in the Islamist state without charging them with any crime. After church leaders had given thanks to God for His Word, NISS agents entered the church compound and took Pastor Michael to their office in North Khartoum.
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