Assault claim against church leader

The police summoned Rev Yahya Abdelrahim to a police station to investigate a complaint of assault filed against him, in a new development in the cases of eviction of lands where evangelical communities are based.

Rev Yahya Abdelrahim, head of the Anglican Evangelical Church was summoned to Omdurman police station to investigate the complaint against him for assaulting and causing serious harm. Rev Abdelrahim told Radio Dabanga yesterday that the complaint against him was made by a member of the Committee of the Council of the Evangelical Community.

“This committee is formed by the Ministry of Guidance which includes Muslims and Christians who are active in the eviction of lands that belong to the Evangelical Church in Sudan and selling them to investors,” Rev Abdelrahim said.

He claimed that the committee evicted evangelical church communities from lands in Bahri area before, saying their activities now moved to Omdurman were they tried to evict the Evangelical School in April.

On 3 April, the courtyard of the Evangelical Church and School in Omdurman witnessed the killing of a church elder against the backdrop of a conflict between the Sudanese Ministry of Guidance, an investor and the church over land.

One week ago police of El Awsat Department in Omdurman ordered Rev Yahya Abdelrahman and his deputy, Rev Siddig Abdallah to evacuate the house of the Evangelical Church at Elmulazmin in Omdurman by force. The decision apparently was issued by the Omdurman Central Court, according to the church leader, under the pretext of an investor owning the land property rights.

Abdelrahim has been living in the street in front of his house for six days awaiting the result of his appeal against the decision to evacuate.

“The order of the judge who issued the evacuation relates to piece number 567. Block 4 3, while I live in another residence. That has also nothing to do with the order to evacuate house number 514, Block 4 3 at El Mulazmin district of Omdurman.”