Sudanese churches pen open letter protesting the government's 'systematic violation of Christian religious freedoms'

Sudanese churches have written an open letter to the government to condemn the demolition of church buildings in Sudan's capital of Khartoum, describing the act as "the systematic violation of Christian religious freedoms."

The letter, dated May 16, was penned by the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC), which represents about 220,000 of about two million Christians in Sudan. It highlighted the "hard conditions" faced by Christians in recent years, including the demolition of churches, confiscation of church property, government failure to allocate land for the construction of new churches, and travel restrictions on senior church leaders.

A worker closely involved in working with the Church in Sudan remarked that the letter was the "boldest move the SCOC leadership has yet made against the constant pressure they have been facing from the government."

"Over the past years they have complained against all violations of religious rights to all pertinent government bodies, but it is the first time such a letter is distributed on social media," said the worker, who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons.

According to World Watch Monitor, the letter was sent the day before the government demolished an SCOC building, which has been standing in Algadisia, east Khartoum, since 1983.

The authorities reportedly ordered the church to vacate the land after an individual claimed ownership but did not provide any accompanying evidence. The church had produced ownership documents, but the officials refused to hear the case, saying they had orders to carry out the demolition.

Twenty-five other churches have been scheduled for demolition, with the government claiming they violate designated purposes for these plots of land.

"We feel deeply sorry and strongly condemn these abusive procedures against the holy places, and we hold the National Intelligence and Security Services [NISS] responsible for the damages and other consequences [that] can be caused due to their confiscation of documents," the letter stated.

"We also hold the land authorities of the Ministry of the Planning and Infrastructure Development of the Khartoum state responsible for the attacks against the Church and [for] the financial damages caused," it added.

The SCOC urged the presidency to allocate land to churches and guarantee Christians their constitutional right to own land in Sudan. It also called on President Omar al-Bashir to order the NISS to return all confiscated land ownership and travel documents to Christians and prevent the agency from committing further violations of Christians' rights.

In 2013, the Sudanese Minister of Guidance and Endowments announced that it will no longer grant licenses for the construction of new churches in the country, claiming there is no need for new church buildings as many of the Christian South Sudanese people have returned to their own country following South Sudan's secession in 2011.

Since then, the authorities have continued the gradual confiscation of properties belonging to churches.

The SCOC also called on local and international human rights organizations to intervene on behalf of the churches to ensure that the Sudanese government puts an end to the violations of religious freedom of Christians.