Source:  www.persecution.org

Date:  March 19, 2020

Sudan (International Christian Concern) – According to Radio Dabanga, two churches have been burned down by arsonists over the past month. Radio Dabanga received a report from a local lawyer and human rights defender named Dimas Marajan. Marajan said that though there have been some changes in Sudan since the fall of Bashir, violence against Christian communities has continued.

He said that the first attack took place on February 29 in Omdurman, Khartoum's twin city across the river. The building belonged to the often persecuted Sudanese Church of Christ. The second burning took place on March 9 when militants burned down a church in Bout village of Blue Nile State. The church belonged to the Presbyterian Evangelical Church. These attacks followed just a couple of months after three churches being burned down in South Eastern Sudan.

In April 2019, Omar al-Bashir, the longtime dictator of Sudan, was ousted in a coup d’état. With this overthrow, there was a lot of hope for persecuted religious minorities to gain freedom. Now, almost a year later, changes seem to be taking place at the government level, but many people are resistant to them. So far, the new government in Sudan has promised to return all church properties, disbanded all committees established by Bashir to oversee churches, placed multiple Christians in high level positions and is returning control of church affairs to church leaders. Despite this, there is still much scrutiny over the changes and the idea that Christians will have freedom any time soon. Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Sudan who suffer at the hands of hateful and violent communities.

HOW TO PRAY: Pray for protection and provision for these two churches. Pray for greater religious freedom in Sudan. Pray for the Gospel to spread during this time of transition in Sudan.