Christians tortured and killed in South Sudan

Compass Direct 30 June 2011

These refugees have fled from the
fighting in South Kordofan state
Photo: Assist News

Government agents and Islamic militants recently launched deadly attacks on Christians in Sudan's South Kordofan state. On June 8, a Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) Intelligence unit detained a seminary student, Nimeri Philip Kalo, near the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) in the capital city of Kadugli. Nimeri and other Christians were fleeing the town after Muslim militias loyal to the SAF attacked and looted at least three local churches. The agents reportedly accused Nimeri of being a Christian and suspected he was therefore opposed to the Islamic government. The UNMIS's mandate is to support the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of Sudan and the country's Christian and animist south, which is scheduled to secede on July 9 (click here for more information). Nimeri was killed in front of several bystanders. "They shot him in front of our eyes and forced us not to cry, or else we would face the same fate," said one witness.

The same day, Islamic militants aligned with SAF killed a Christian bus driver, Adeeb Gismalla Aksam (33), by sword in the Kadugli Market. That afternoon, other armed militants attacked a Roman Catholic Church building where Christians were gathered for mass, firing guns and shouting "Allahu-akbar." No one was injured, but SAF agents arrested Reverend Abraham James Lual in front of his congregation. They accused Abraham of preaching that people should oppose the Islamic government and took him to an unknown location. He was tortured for two days before being released.

Pray for healing for Abraham. Pray for God's enduring comfort to reign in the hearts of the friends and family members of the martyred believers. Pray that their example of costly discipleship will enrich the witness of the Sudanese Church. Pray that Sudanese Christians will continue to trust in God's love and provision, even in times of instability, violence and loss.

To find out more about the persecution believers face in Sudan, go to the Sudan Country Report.

Sudan

Country Information
Population
49,197,555 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Sudanese Arab (70), Fur, Beja, Nuba and Fallata (30)

Religion
Sunni Muslim, small Christian minority

Leader
President (to be determined)
Transitional military leadership in place

Government type
Presidential republic

Legal system
Mixed legal system of Islamic law and English common law

Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for Sudan
Pray that Christians throughout Sudan will continue to entrust themselves to Christ and preach the Gospel boldly, knowing Jesus is the ruler over the kings of the earth (2 Timothy 1:7-12, Revelation 1:5).

Pray also that peace, justice and religious freedom may be firmly established.

Sudan News

Church Building Destroyed While Authorities Watch

A demolished Pentecostal church building in Khartoum.
Photo: CSW

On July 8th, approximately 30 individuals equipped with heavy machinery demolished a Pentecostal church in the El Haj Yousif area of Khartoum as police officers and military personnel looked on without intervening. By the time the demolition was finished, the worship hall – which had been constructed in the early 1990s – was reduced to rubble, along with the church's administrative offices, guest house, and other adjoining buildings.

Read more...
Church Leaders Face Violence from Multiple Sides

A church in Sudan.
Photo: Flickr / David Stanley (cc)

The bishop of the El-Obeid diocese in Sudan recently suffered a harrowing ordeal at the hands of both members of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and those of the opposing rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF). On December 1st, Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andali reported that he was travelling with a deacon named Joseph. The ministry team had just arrived in El-Obeid when they were suddenly stopped and harassed by the SAF. The troops seized the small sum of money in U.S. dollars that the bishop was carrying, claiming that it was forbidden currency. During the robbery, the soldiers also physically harmed the two men.

Read more...
Displaced Christians Driven From Their Homes

A group of people in Sudan.
Photo: Wikipedia / Nina R (cc)

Residents of the Al-Makniya area of Sudan's River Nile state drove 34 displaced Christians from their homes on October 19th. Those responsible for the displacement explained that they did not want any Christians nor black people in the area.

Read more...
Military Officers Arrest Christian Refugees

Photo: VOMC

Amid the ongoing civil war in Sudan, a group of over 100 Sudanese men, women and children travelled to the city of Shendi on the banks of the Nile River in search of refuge from the fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary group, RSF. There, the refugees – most of whom are members of the Sudanese Church of Christ – sought shelter in an affiliated church building.

Read more...