Church burned down in East Sudan

CSW has learned that a church in Doka Town, Gedaref State in east Sudan was razed to the ground on 16 December.

The Church belonged to the Sudan Church of Christ (SCOC) denomination and had been a place of worship since 1991. The SCOC is a predominantly Nuba denomination which has experienced both religious and ethnic discrimination.

The attack was reportedly perpetrated by a soldier who has been locally identified as Yasin Ahmed Haroun, and who had threatened to burn down the property a week earlier.

On 16 December, at around midday, locals realised that the church was on fire. Eyewitnesses report that they saw Yasin Ahmed Haroun running from the church to the military camp where the army is based. A group of locals, including church leaders, went to the military camp to report the attack and asked for the assailant to be surrendered to the police; however, military officials ordered them to disperse from the site immediately.

Church leaders filed a criminal case naming the perpetrator which has been taken up by the local prosecutor who requested that the military surrender Yasin Ahmed Haroun for their investigations. However military officials state they do not have anyone by that name in their ranks.

The military remain the de facto political leaders of Sudan following a coup led by General Abdel Fattah al Burhan in October 2021, which brought an end to the civilian-led transitional period. Negotiations led by intergovernmental organisations such as the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the United Nations (UN), and bilateral partner countries led to the signing of an initial agreement to restore a civilian government, but no action has ensued.

CSW’s Founder and President Mervyn Thomas said ‘We are seriously concerned by reports that a church in Gedaref State has been razed to the ground by a military officer, whom the military appear to be shielding from law enforcement. We stand with the Sudan Church of Christ community in Doka Town who have lost their place of worship just a week before Christmas. The destruction of a place of worship is a gross violation of Sudan’s obligations under its constitution and international law to respect and protect the right to freedom of religion or belief. We call on the miliary authorities to cooperate with state authorities and to facilitate a thorough investigation into this attack by bringing the perpetrator to justice.’