North Sudan: Government Demolishes Christian Church

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: May 10, 2017

North Sudan: Government Demolishes Christian Church

A church in North Sudan was recently demolished by government officials while Christians were powerless to stop it.

Christian Today reports that, in addition to the other problems facing Sudan and affecting Christians, including famine and government turmoil, Christians face discrimination from the government.

Many Sudanese Christians were forced to flee to South Sudan when the country split into north and south in 2011. Hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese Christians now face malnutrition, and those who are left in North Sudan also face tough trials.

Two pastors, Paul Salah and Naji Abdullah, were arrested by the National Intelligence and Security Service and held for several hours after the Khartoum church was destroyed.

Local pastor Rev. Elias Abdelrahim recalls the Christian community’s reaction upon hearing of the church’s fate: “We heard about the news of the demolition at 2pm," he said. “Members of the church and I arrived at the site in the afternoon and found the church levelled.”

The government previously announced plans to demolish 27 churches in North Sudan, but were stopped by a court appeal. Government authorities said the Khartoum church had been demolished due to lack of building permission, but Abdelrahim said the church was older than planning and building laws instituted by the government.

 

Photo courtesy: World Watch Monitor

Publication date: May 10, 2017



North Sudan: Government Demolishes Christian Church