Sudanese Authorities Demolish Church in Khartoum; 2 Pastors Taken Into Custody
Authorities in Sudan leveled down a church just outside the capital Khartoum on Sunday as the Church of Christ congregants were about to worship.
A bulldozer sent by the Ministry of Planning and Urban Development razed the church building despite earlier pledges by Sudanese government officials that no such demolition would be done, the Sudan Tribune reported.
The church was among the 25 buildings on the list of the Sudanese government scheduled to be torn down. According to state officials, the building stood on grounds meant for other uses such as governmental or residential and must be removed, according to Sight magazine.
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Church officials claimed otherwise, saying that the demolition is part of a crackdown on the Christian faith.
The building was torn down just as worshippers were about to assemble for Sunday service.
"This morning Sunday, May 7, 2017, while Sudanese Church of Christ Congregation gathering for Sunday services, Khartoum authorities bulldozed their church 'Soba Al Aradi church,'" wrote the International Solidarity Campaign with Sudanese Christians in a statement released to the Sudan Tribune.
Aside from the church demolition, two pastors, identified as Naji Abdallah and Paul Salah, were taken into custody by the authorities after they refused to open the gates of the church for the officials to enter.
The two pastors were later released from custody.
The church used to house at least three congregations that used to worship in 12 churches that were torn down.
Some Christians accused the government of favoring Muslims.
"There is a nearby mosque in the area where the church building was destroyed, but it was not demolished," one believer said.
While officials deny any crackdown on Christians in the country, President Omer al-Bashir has expressed his intent to take in a "100 percent Islamic constitution" following the separation of South Sudan in 2011.
