Sudan court rules in favour of church in governance dispute

Several churches are in conflict with the Sudanese government over ownership of their properties and are facing fines and destruction of church buildings. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)
A Sudanese court has surprisingly ruled against the government in a case against the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC) after a long-standing dispute over ownership of the church’s property. Five church leaders, including the SCOC president Ayouba Telyan, appeared in court on Wednesday, 8 August, expecting to have to defend . . . Read More

South Sudan’s Christians return to Sudan, despite pressures

Village church in Goli, South Sudan. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)
Many of the Christians who fled Sudan after the South’s independence in 2011 have returned, even though the authorities continue to close churches and harass Christians there, a Catholic priest told The Economist. Prayer centres that were closed have been reopened, Father Juma Charles of St Matthew’s Catholic Cathedral in . . . Read More

Archbishop of Canterbury speaks ‘strongly’ to Sudan President of religious freedom for Christians

Archbishop of Canterbury in Sudan, 29 July, 2017 (Credit: Archbishop of Canterbury)
The advent of the world’s newest country, South Sudan, in 2011 has not been without its impact. Not only has it spawned a civil war and one of the world’s biggest current humanitarian crises, but also the need for a new Province in the global Anglican Communion. This weekend, the . . . Read More

Sudan churches risk letter to government on ‘systematic violations’, including church demolition

Sudan churches risk letter to government on ‘systematic violations’, including church demolition
The Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC) has written an open letter to the Khartoum government protesting “the systematic violation of Christian religious freedoms”, including the recent demolition of one of their churches in the Suba area of the capital, Khartoum. The SCOC represents about 220,000 of about two million Christians . . . Read More

Part of church compound in Sudan illegally occupied

Unidentified men torched the Sudanese Lutheran church in the town of Gadaref situated in the east of the country late night Oct 17, 2015 when no one was around to douse the flames. Local Christians suspect this to be the handiwork of Muslim extremists who want to eradicate Christianity from the region.
Police and an armed mob occupied part of the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC) compound last Wednesday (26 April), reports Middle East Concern (MEC). It is the same location where, earlier this month, two church members were stabbed during a protest against appropriation of a school there. The compound in . . . Read More

Is Sudan really ready for sanctions to be lifted?

One of Barack Obama’s last acts in office was to scale back a 20-year-old trade embargo on Sudan. The move has been criticised by human rights groups, which have called it “premature” and “despicable”, but has the country and its President, wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, . . . Read More

Sudanese pastors pressured to ‘inform’ or stand trial

Sudanese pastors pressured to ‘inform’ or stand trial
Forty-eight-year-old father of three Rev. Yamane Abraha received an ultimatum in Khartoum following a trip to Ethiopia in the autumn of 2015. “[Sudanese government] security threatened me, saying I would have to appear in court either as a witness, or an accused,” the Evangelical Baptist Church of Khartoum pastor told . . . Read More

Sudan’s trial of pastors for ‘spying’ continues

The trial of four defendants, including two local pastors and a foreign Christian worker, accused of “spying” continued in Khartoum yesterday (26 Sep.), with the prosecutor presenting more “evidence”. The hearing against Rev. Hassan Taour, Rev. Kuwa Shamal (both ethnic Nuba), Czech aid worker Petr Jasek and Darfuri graduate Abdulmonem . . . Read More