Sudanese military member suspected in church blaze

KHARTOUM, Sudan — An Islamist within the Sudanese military is suspected of burning a church building.

A Sudanese Armed Forces member opposed to the church’s presence in El Daoka in Al Qadarif State is thought to have set fire to Sudanese Church of Christ on Dec. 16, reported Morning Star News. El Daoka is about 250 miles from Khartoum, the capital.

A church attorney who spoke to Morning Star News called the attack criminal, saying it also violated tenets of religious freedom.

Between the ouster of Islamist dictator Omar al-Bashir in the spring of 2019 and a military coup in the fall of 2021, religious freedom in Sudan advanced. Some provisions of sharia (Islamic law) were rescinded during that time.

However, the possibility that the new government could revert to harsher Islamic law and perpetrate persecution has increased, stated Morning Star News.

Sudan is No. 10 on Open Doors’ 2023 World Watch List of places most difficult to be a Christian, up from No. 13 on the 2022 list. Christians account for about 4.5% of Sudan’s 43 million population.