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| The wall of this Christian compound was recently destroyed by Muslim extremists. (Photo: Compass Direct News) |
On April 21, a church building in Sawafi was attacked by a mob provoked by a radical Muslim leader. Security forces stopped the mob. However, some found an alternate route, enabling them to ransack and burn down the building.
The same day, a Bible School located on a church compound in Al-Gereif was badly damaged in an arson attack by a Muslim mob. The church had received threats of violence in late March and early April. Office equipment, library resources, and students' personal belongings were destroyed.
On April 19, in Burri, a group of 130 university students of South Sudanese origin were detained and given seven days to leave Sudan after being accused of celebrating South Sudan's invasion of the Heglig oil field within South Kordofan province. The students denied that they had held any such celebration.
The day before, churches in Al-Baraka, Dar el Salam, and Takamul districts received notice that their properties would be demolished because of lack of structural integrity. Church leaders complained that the Ministry of Planning and Urban Development had not informed them of required changes to the buildings. Church leaders have reportedly been informally notified that the orders have been reversed.
We recently requested prayer concerning the April 8 deadline for those of South Sudanese origin (many of whom are Christian) to leave Sudan following the secession of South Sudan in July 2011. The deadline has been postponed for 30 days.
The Sudanese government is treating all those in Sudan who are eligible for citizenship of South Sudan (i.e. having at least one great-grandparent born in the South) as having de-facto citizenship of South Sudan and is therefore denying them the option of acquiring citizenship of Sudan. Sudan has not provided consular facilities in South Sudan to enable South Sudanese to apply for residency in Sudan. Travel from Sudan to South Sudan is difficult at this time due to the tensions in the border areas.
Please pray!
- Pray that Christians in Khartoum will know the peace, presence and protection of Jesus.
- Pray that the detained students will be released.
- Pray that all demolition orders will be officially withdrawn.
- Pray that church leaders will know the Spirit's guidance and wisdom at this time.
Hi we are mobilizing prayer for Sudan and would like to use the photo above of the broken down church in a prayer spot for Khartoum. We actually live in Khartoum most of the year and work at a school there and were there when this happened and heard the testimony of what happened the week after on this very site. We are also very much involved in prayer in khartoum so many thanks if we can use the photo above
ReplyDeleteIt's great to hear that you are mobilizing prayer for Sudan!
ReplyDeleteThe above photo is actually from our friends at Compass Direct News (www.compassdirect.org). Their policy for using materials from their site is: "News Material on this site may shared by individuals or bloggers with credit to Compass Direct News, but print, broadcast or Internet media companies wishing to reprint or redistribute stories must be subscribers to Compass Direct News." If you fall into the former category, you should be able to use the photo as long as you credit Compass Direct News. If you are unsure, you can find Compass' contact details here: http://www.compassdirect.org/contact/.
God bless you for your heart for Sudan!