Sudan: yet another church demolished
By Joseph DeCaro
(Worthy News) – Police in Omdurman, Sudan, demolished yet another church building on Oct. 21.
According to Morning Star News, a bulldozer destroyed the Sudanese Lutheran Church building in the Karari area of Omdurman. The building was also used by an Evangelical Lutheran Church congregation.
Karari officials had told church leaders that they would not demolish the building, but later gave them 72 hours to prepare for its destruction. The officials said they tore down the building because it was located in an area designated for business, although a mosque still stands nearby.
Since 2012, Sudan has bulldozed church buildings on the pretext that they belonged to South Sudanese citizens. They have also raided Christian bookstores and arrested Christians. This harassment has intensified since the secession of South Sudan in July 2011 when President Omar al-Bashir vowed to enforce strict Islamic laws, recognize only Islamic culture and adopt the Arabic language.
Due to its treatment of Christians and other human rights violations, Sudan has been designated a Country of Particular Concern by the U.S. State Department since 1999. The nation also ranked sixth on Open Doors’ 2015 World Watch List of 50 countries where Christians face the most persecution.