Two churches demolished in Omdurman

The Sudanese authorities destroyed two church buildings of the British Evangelical Lutheran Church in Omdurman, Khartoum state, in October, without any legal ground, says the Uganda-based Sudanese Human Rights and Development Organisation (Hudo).

On 21 October, troops of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and the police, demolished the church in El Sawra Block 29, in Omdurman’s Karari locality, in the presence of officers from the land registration authority and the locality.

The authorities arrived in 12 vehicles, accompanied by two bulldozers, Hudo reported in a press statement on Sunday.

“As soon as they arrived, the soldiers surrounded the church and used tear gas to disperse the people who had gathered to protect thebuilding. Immediately after that, they started to pull down the building, regardless of the sacred items and furniture that were still in the church.”

A week later, NISS and police agents demolished the church at El Sawra Block 61 in a similar way.

Pastor James told Hudo that the church at Block 29 was built in 1984 “when it was an open area”. In 1995, the land registration authority re-planned the area. They allocated lands to mosques but ignored the church. “Yet, the church leaders continued to request an official confirmation.” The same happened with the church at Block 61.

A Christian witness said of the destruction of the church at Block 29 that it “was carried out without care or regard to the sanctity of the church which is a violation to our constitutional rights and against the international conventions”.

Compensation

The Hudo Centre calls on the Sudanese authorities to conduct a transparent investigation into the official orders to destroy the churches, to grant the Lutheran Church alternative land for the two church buildings, and to pay compensation.

The Centre also demands the authorities to stop immediately “any further destruction of churches” in Sudan, and respect the Christians’ right to visit their places of worship.

Hudo further urges the Sudanese authorities to respect the Interim Constitution and international conventions on the freedom of religion, and stop the discrimination against Christians.

Discrimination

In November last year, police raided the premises of the Sudan Evangelical Presbyterian Church (SEPC) in Khartoum North, and seized a large part of the compound. On January 6, a court ruled in favour of the legitimate church committee, but this ruling was later overturned by the Supreme Court on appeal.

The Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide commented in February that the court order “will effectively facilitate the illegal closure of yet another church at a time when the government has stated that the construction of new churches will no longer be permitted”.

Rev. Kodi El Ramli, Secretary-General of the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC), told Radio Dabanga in September last year, that apart from the confiscation of churches in the Sudanese capital, the SCC had received many complaints about harassment and discrimination against Christians. “They are systematically obstructed from visiting their churches.”