Sudanese Christians protest forced eviction from church premises

KHARTOUM, May 23, 2004 (dpa) — A strong worded letter signed by Sudanese Church leaders to the government on Sunday has accused the Islamic authorities of forcibly occupying a church in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

Bishops Daniel Deng and Ezekiel Kondo and Reverend Enock Tombe of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan (ECS) argued that armed police arrived at the ECS Guest House without any warning, bringing a court order for the immediate evacuation of church personnel and property from the building.

Deng, Secretary to the Episcopal Council, stated that the court order which authorized the use of force was designed to cause maximum disruption to church activities simply because there was no advance notice of the eviction, which served to prevent any appeal to a possible stay of action.

Lawyers requested the court order for details of the court order, but were denied, he added.

According to the church, the event highlights the vulnerability of Christians in northern Sudan under Sudanese sharia law, imposed in 1983.

Southern Sudanese rebels at peace talks in Naivasha, Kenya have demanded exemptions from the implementation of sharia law to Christians.

The government of President Omer al-Bashir has allegedly confiscated church properties with impunity since taking power in a 1989 military coup. Sunday’s incident marks the fourth time ECS church properties have been raided by the police.