Christians Arrested/Tortured by Sudanese Army, “Christians of All Backgrounds are Trapped in the Chaos”
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Seven Sudanese Christian youths were arrested and tortured by intelligence agents of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in the country’s River Nile state on Jan. 14, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. Wracked by a civil war launched between the SAF and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF),
Seven members of the Sudanese Church of Christ were arrested after fleeing the fighting near their homes to seek refuge in Shendi, River Nile state, an area controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), MSN reports. They were detained by Military Intelligence (MI) personnel who accused them of supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to the Sudanese Christian Youth Union.
“They were arrested by the army intelligence and were subjected to beatings and interrogations,” Christian attorney Shinbago Mugaddam told Morning Star News. “A case was opened against them where the complainant and the witnesses for the accusation were all members of the armed forces. The court did not ask them whether they needed a lawyer or had witnesses to deny this incident, knowing that they were beaten and forced to confess and provide evidence against themselves.”
“These youths were tried under Article 174 of the Sudanese Criminal Code of 1994 relating to theft in a summary trial in the Shendi Court, River Nile state, where the conditions for a fair trial were not met,” Mugaddam said.
Reporting on the situation facing Sudanese believers, the Sudan War Monitor stated recently: “Christians of all backgrounds are trapped in the chaos, unable to flee. Churches are shelled, looted, and occupied by the warring parties.”
Sudan is currently ranked 5th on the Open Doors World Watch List of the top 50 countries where Christians face persecution.
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