OMDURMAN, Sudan — In an ongoing bid by the government of Sudan to take over leadership of the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC), police arrested five SCOC church leaders Oct. 22 after they refused to comply with an order to refrain from worship.
Police officers arrived at the SCOC-Harat church in the Hai Al Thawra West area of Omdurman and ordered the Christians to cancel the worship service. When the church leaders refused, police arrested them, sources said.
Angry police spoke harshly to them during the arrest, threatening that they would not be released, the source said, but after questioning they were released at 11 p.m. They had been detained on charges of disturbing the peace.
The harassment came after police in Sudan detained and questioned another church leader in Omdurman in September and arrested seven other church leaders in August.
Another SCOC pastor, Hassan Abdelrahim Tawor, had received a 12-year sentence early in the year after being charged with spying and trying to tarnish Sudan’s image, but he was freed along with Abdulmonem Abdumawla of Darfur on May 11 after receiving a presidential pardon.
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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