Khartoum state to demolish Christian church

State authorities have issued a warning notice about the demolition of the church in El Haj Yousif in Khartoum North, to be carried out within one week. They reasoned that the structure has been built illegally.

Hudo Centre reported that the church leadership received a resolution letter from land authorities in Khartoum, warning them that the church will be demolished. They are given one week to evacuate the church, otherwise further legal procedures will be taken and the church will pay the demolishing costs.

The church was built on the land in 1976, according to the activist group, a considerable time before the National Islamic Front took power of Sudan by a military coup in 1989. The freedom of religion has witnessed a significant clampdown since then, Sudan Democracy First Group (SDFG) said earlier this year.

In July, fourteen people, including priests, were sentenced to paying a fine for obstructing police that tried to vacate the Bahri Evangelical Church. In October 2015, two churches of the British Evangelical Lutheran Church in Omdurman were demolished in Omdurman. The government has stopped granting permits to build new churches in Sudan, Christian religious leaders said.

Violations of the constitutional rights of Christians and their churches concerns the Uganda-based Hudo Centre, which made an appeal to the Sudanese authorities on Thursday. 'Offer alternative land to the church and give enough time for building another church before demolishing the existing one.'

Hudo also appealed to the international institutions and organisations to put more pressure on the Sudanese government in order to stop the targeting of Christians.