Meriam Ibrahim Leaves Homeland with her Family

Daniel and Meriam
Photo: Gabriel Wani / Facebook

Meriam Ibrahim, the 27-year-old Christian woman who was sentenced to death for apostasy this past May, has finally been permitted to leave the country along with her family. Since this time, Meriam was detained in prison where she gave birth to her second child, a daughter. She was then released from jail on June 23rd, only to be detained the following day at the airport.

Meriam and her husband Daniel were apprehended along with their young children on charges of forgery and providing false information on their travel documents. Thankfully, they were released on bail on June 26th. (For more information on the gruelling circumstances Meriam and her family have endured in recent months, please visit this story.)

We are pleased to report that Meriam and her family have since legally departed from the country following negotiations made by the Italian government, prompting Sudanese authorities to grant her release. The Christian family arrived safely in Rome on the morning of July 24th. They are expected to remain in Italy before continuing their journey to the United States where Daniel is a citizen. (To view three brief BBC video clips of Meriam with her family, visit this BBC report.)

Praise God that Meriam and her family have finally been permitted to leave the country of Sudan. Please pray that any outstanding court cases against her will be dropped, and that this family will now be free to rebuild their lives. May this Godly couple and their young children, Martin and Maya, be completely restored after their long and arduous ordeal. Ask the Lord to remain especially near to this family as they travel to the United States, and may He also continue to provide them with opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

For more information on Sudan's persecuted church, please visit our website.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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