Sudanese court orders reopening of Christian school seized by authorities

A judge in eastern Sudan has issued an order to resume the classes at a Christian school that was taken over by the government last month.

The Evangelical Basic School was closed down by armed police and civilians on Oct. 24. On Nov. 8, the Appeal Court for Administrative Affairs in Madani, Al Jazirah state, canceled the order for the closure of the school.

"The court has ordered that the school continue to function with the current administration without interference from the commissioner. Things are normal, thank God," Rev. Samuel Suleiman Anglo, headmaster at the school, told Morning Star News.

After the court hearings on Nov. 7 and 8, the judge found that the Madani commissioner's attempt to seize the school and appoint a Muslim teacher to run it was inappropriate.

The pastor said that the school wrote a letter to the government to ask the officials to reconsider their decision regarding the school's closure. Parents have also written to the judge to request for the reopening of the school.

The authorities have previously attempted to close down the school on Sept. 5 and Oct. 4.

In the September raid, Suleiman and 12 of the school teachers were arrested and accused of aiding the Sudan People's Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N), a rebel group fighting against the government in the state of South Kordofan. The pastor strongly denied the accusation.

On Oct. 6, Suleiman and 8 other staff members of the school were arrested for trying to prevent the authorities from seizing the institution.

The administrators and teachers at the school are ethnic Nuba, who are increasingly facing persecution from the government. The Nuba people had long been complaining to the government in Khartoum about neglect, oppression and forced conversions to Islam.

The U.S. State Department has labeled Sudan as a Country of Particular Concern due to human rights violations and its maltreatment of Christians. The country currently ranks eighth most difficult country to live as a Christian in the Open Doors World Watch List.