Seisure of the guesthouse of the Episcopal Church

Summary

CSW is deeply concerned by the continuing confiscation of the guesthouse owned by the Episcopalian Church of Sudan (ECS)

Events Leading to the Seizure

On the morning of Thursday 20 May 2004, police in Khartoum entered the ECS guesthouse and enforced an eviction notice. The building also serves as the offices of the Archbishop of the ECS and of the Diocese of Renk.

Two months prior to this event, a defrocked ECS bishop named Gabriel Roric Jur had illegally sold the property to a Sudanese Arab company called Al Ghazal Residence Enterprises, a subsidiary of the United Al Azra Company. At the time Mr. Roric Jur also held a senior post in the Sudanese government. He had been expelled from the ECS in 2003, but had impersonated the Archbishop of the ECS in order to facilitate the sale of the guesthouse. According to local sources, there is no proper sales purchase document, and the signature on the new title deed of the person purporting to represent the church is that of a Muslim.

The new ‘owners’ of the guesthouse began legal proceedings against Mr. Roric Jur in an attempt to ensure vacant possession of the property. He was summoned to court on several occasions, and was referred to as the ‘Archbishop of the Episcopal Church’ in court documents. After Mr. Roric Jur consistently failed to appear before the court, a Shari’ah Court judge ordered the seizure of the property.

The ECS was oblivious to these events and received no prior warning that a seizure was imminent. On the morning in question, police arrived at the building with trucks and labourers and ordered the immediate clearance of all furniture, carpets and effects. Members of staff were warned that force would be used against them if they did not comply with the order, and that three truck loads of armed riot police were on hand at the gates of the building for this very purpose. In order to prevent any violence, staff members agreed to vacate the premises as requested. According to local sources, once all of the Christians had left a Muslim rite was conducted, whereby two sheep were sacrificed at the gate of the property in order “to purify and rededicate” the site.

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