Sudanese court upholds eviction of pastors as government steps up campaign to take over church properties

A Sudanese court has turned down an appeal of two pastors who were evicted from their church-owned homes in August as part of what is believed to be a government campaign to take over church property.

According to Morning Star News, Rev. Yahia Abdelrahim Nalu, who serves as a moderator with Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC), and Rev. Sidiq Abdalla, a SPEC pastor, were left homeless after the police raided their homes on Aug. 15.

The church leaders appealed the eviction, but on Dec. 3, their plea was rejected by Judge Adam Tahir Haj Adam, who ruled that Muslim businessman Hisham Hamad Al-Neel should take over their homes. "All appeals presented are rejected, and implantation of court order should continue," the court order reportedly stated.

The SPEC leaders have presented another appeal to the high court, which is expected to hand down a ruling before the end of the year.

A source who requested anonymity has claimed that Al-Neel is behind nearly all cases that have been filed to obtain SPEC properties in Khartoum and Khartoum Bahri (Khartoum North). "Almost all the cases were opened by Hisham," the source said.

Morning Star News noted that 60 other church leaders are facing charges in various courts over their refusal to turn over church property to Al-Neel.

The judge had ruled against the two pastors even though the eviction order pointed to another house, No. 567, rather than the house where the pastors had been residing, which was No. 772, a source has claimed. The properties were indicated in the eviction order, but it does not name the occupants to be evicted.

The Sudanese government has intensified its crackdown against Christians following the secession of South Sudan in July 2011.

In 2013, The Sudanese Minister of Guidance and Endowments announced that it will no longer grant licenses for the construction of new churches in Sudan, citing a decrease in the South Sudanese population.

Sudan has been designated by the U.S. State Department as a Country of Particular Concern since 1999 due to its treatment of Christians and other human rights violations.

Last month, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan urged the Sudanese government to stop the demolitions of churches and other places of worship. He stated that Sudan's future relations with the U.S. will be determined by how Khartoum promotes freedom of expression and other human rights.

"As we move forward in our relationship, the United States will not ignore violations of human rights, including the right to religious freedom," Sullivan said at the time.

Sudanese officials have maintained that the government already promotes human rights in the country and said that disputes regarding property registrations could be the reason for the demolition of churches.

"Sudan also enjoys religious freedom, which is exemplified with several churches existing adjacent to mosques," the foreign ministry said earlier this year.