SOBA AL ARADI, South Sudan — Khartoum state authorities in Sudan demolished a church building May 7 as Christians were preparing to worship, sources said. In the Khartoum suburb of Soba al Aradi, which began as a refugee camp for south Sudanese, a bulldozer sent by Jebel Aulia locality and the Ministry of Planning and Urban Development arrived at block 7 at about 2:30 p.m. and destroyed the Sudanese Church of Christ building, they said.
Authorities had notified church leaders of the impending demolition a week prior. The church building was one of at least 25 the Sudanese government designated for destruction in 2016. The government reportedly claimed the churches were built on land zoned for residential or other uses, or were on government land, but church leaders said it is part of a wider crackdown on Christianity.
The building in Soba al Aradi was used by three congregations as it was the only one left in the area following the demolition of 12 area church buildings. The order targets a wide range of denominations, from Roman Catholic to Pentecostal.
Sudan ranked fifth on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List of countries where Christians face most persecution. (MS)
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