Sharia (Islamic law) is the foundation of Sudan’s legal system, and leaving Islam is punishable by death; Christians who talk about their faith can be accused of an “act that encourages apostasy”. Christianity is seen as Western, making it a political target. Several Christians have been imprisoned in recent years, charged with “spying”. Sudan’s President, Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes including “genocide”, is believed to want to “rid” Sudan of Christianity. In 2016 the government announced plans to destroy 27 churches, claiming they were in violation of the designated purposes of the land they were built on.
US envoy supports Sudan’s removal from ‘sponsors of terrorism’ list
The US charge d’affaires in Khartoum has told Sudan that he will channel “all … energy and focus” into having Sudan removed from the US’s list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, reports AFP. Steven Koutsis, speaking during the 4 July celebration at the embassy in the Sudanese capital, welcomed Sudan’s […]
Religious freedom ‘essential goal’ in normalising relations with Sudan – US commission
A new report highlights the lack of religious freedom in Sudan and says improvements in this area remain “an essential goal” for the US before relations between the two countries can be fully normalised. A delegation from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan advisory body, […]
Sudan: ‘Put brakes on’ normalising relations, rights groups tell US
Rights groups have urged the United States to refrain from removing Sudan from its list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. “New circumstances have emerged in Sudan that make US efforts at full normalisation dramatically ill-timed,” said the Washington DC-based Enough Project in a recent report. The NGO, which focuses on […]
Sudan: Four Christians charged, 36 others to stand trial
New charges have been brought against four members of one of the country’s major Protestant denominations. Thirty-six others will appear in court next week on unspecified charges; five others have been acquitted. Azhari Tambra, Mina Mata, George Adem and Kodi Abdulraheem were charged on 11 April with “causing physical harm […]
Czech aid worker recounts torture by IS convicts in Sudan prison
The Czech aid worker released in February 2017 after being imprisoned for 14 months in Sudan on spying charges has revealed how he was tortured by fellow inmates,. Petr Jasek explained at a conference in the US organised by charity Voice of the Martyrs that he was treated like a […]
Sudan government demolishes church despite pending appeal
A church belonging to the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC) denomination in the Khartoum suburb of Haj Yousif was demolished yesterday (11 February). The police arrived with three lorries shortly after the Sunday morning service and confiscated furniture, Bibles and musical instruments, before knocking down the 29-year-old building. The demolition […]
Sudanese church leaders back in court
There have been new developments in two ongoing court cases against Sudan’s two main church denominations. On 5 February, a court fined seven leaders from the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC) for their “objection to the authorities”. Yohanna Tia, a church elder, was fined 5,000 Sudanese Pounds ($275). Rev. Dawoud […]
Sudan extends ceasefire with rebels
An extension to Sudan’s ceasefire with rebel fighters in the Kordofan region has given an opportunity for communities there to plant for this year’s harvest and avoid severe food shortages. Sudan’s president has extended the unilateral ceasefire until the end of March, reports Reuters. The latest break in Sudan’s long-running […]
‘Discreet and systematic persecution of Christians’ in Sudan
A new report on Sudan, published earlier this week by the Enough Project, says the US must consider Sudan’s persecution of Christians and other minority groups before it lifts the remaining sanctions against the country. The report, ‘Radical Intolerance: Sudan’s Religious Oppression and Embrace of Extremist Groups’, says Sudan is […]
South Sudan’s Christians return to Sudan, despite pressures
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 […]