OMDURMAN, Sudan — Police in Sudan arrested and interrogated seven church leaders in late August in Omdurman, Sudan, before releasing them on bail, sources said.
The Christian leaders with the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC) were jailed for six hours Aug. 23 and charged with refusing to comply with an order to turn over leadership of their congregation to a government appointed-committee.
Sudan’s Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowments had written a letter dated Aug. 14 ordering them to hand over church leadership to the committee appointed by the government ministry, sources said.
When they refused, police opened a case against them, though it was unclear under what law.
Police said that in arresting them they were implementing orders from the Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowments to impose its committee as new SCOC leadership, presumably to sell off the church property in Sudan’s bid to rid the country of Christianity.
The pastors said the committee was contrary to SCOC’s constitution, which calls for general elections every three years to appoint new leadership.
Ayoub Mattan, Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC) moderator, and Kwa Shamaal, head of missions at SCOC, were among the church leaders arrested. Pastor Shamaal was previously arrested Dec. 18, 2015, and acquitted on Jan. 2 this year of charges ranging from spying to inciting hatred against the government. (MS)
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