Sudanese authorities demolish Evangelical church in Khartoum suburb

February 13, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese authorities Sunday demolished a Presbyterian Evangelical Church in Khartoum suburb of Hajj Yousef, said a statement by a Sudanese group of faith.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the International Solidarity Campaign with Sudanese Christians (ISCSC) denounced the demolition saying it is part of “a series of systematic violations of religious freedoms and targeting of Christians in Sudan”.

The group said the police trucks arrived after the church service and demolished the building of the church which is established in 1989 and confiscated all the books, equipment and chairs found inside the church.

“No prior notice had been given and a court case is ongoing contesting the scheduled demolition of this church, first announced in 2016,” said the group.

The Sudanese authorities say the removal of a number of churches in Khartoum state comes as a result of the violated zoning regulations also they say they are not officially recognised as churches.

This is the first demolition of a church since the removal of economic sanctions on Sudan in October 2017.

The Sudanese government at the time stopped the demolition of a number of churches considered as illegal by the state authorities.

Faith activists say the Hajj Yousef church was the first on a list of 25 churches that Khartoum state plan to demolish.

(ST)