KHARTOUM, South Sudan — Having deported scores of foreign Christians and demolished several church buildings in the past few months, Sudan continued ridding the country of Christianity in late February by raiding Christian bookstores in Khartoum and arresting Christians, sources said.
Men who described themselves as agents of Khartoum State Security confiscated books, films and archives Feb. 18 from the Evangelical Literature Centre (ELC), part of the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC) denominational headquarters, church leaders said.
“They took everything — not a single sheet of paper was left on the shelves,” one church leader said. “They took the cinema, old movies and tapes and archives. They filled a big truck with our stuff from the ELC.”
When SPEC leaders asked the security agents why they were taking the items away, they replied that they had “orders from above” to confiscate all Christian books, the church leaders said.
Prior to the raid, authorities of the National Intelligence and Security Services in Khartoum state sent a letter to SPEC leaders informing them of their plan to search the premises for Christian literature, according to the church leaders. They described the move as unlawful and unacceptable.
Security agents later confiscated two containers full of Christian books and Bibles at the SPEC headquarters adjoining the ELC, sources said.
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