Government Advisor Beaten and Threatened

Botrous Badawi - Photo: Morning Star News www.morningstarnews.org
Botrous Badawi recovering in hospital.
Photo: Facebook via Morning Star News

Masked gunmen attacked a government religious affairs worker on the night of July 2nd, threatening to kill him for supporting the return of church properties to Christian communities. Botrous Badawi, a Christian and advisor to the minister of Sudan's Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments, was travelling south of Khartoum when a group of bandits forced his vehicle to stop. Armed with assault rifles, they beat him and threatened to kill him if he continued to advocate for the return of a property that was confiscated from the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church.

This attack was not completely unexpected, for Botrous had received numerous threatening text messages leading up to the incident. He did not recognize the attackers but suspects they were members of the Islamist-oriented National Intelligence Security Service --- a notorious agency that had been disbanded by the transitional government and replaced with a new organization.

Christians in Sudan continue to await the return of their church properties which were seized by the Islamist regime of former Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, who was deposed in April 2019. Since then, some of the changes brought about by the transitional government led to the expectation that the properties would be returned to their rightful owners. For more information on the challenges facing Sudan's Christians, go to our country report.

As Botrous Badawi seeks to represent Christ within the Sudanese government, pray that he will have wisdom and guidance from God. As a result, may his words influence governing officials as they determine to do what is right and just regarding the seized church properties. Please also pray for Botrous' complete physical healing as he recovers from the beatings experienced during the attack. Finally, may those responsible for this act of violence be brought to justice, in hopes that they will turn from their wrongful ways and instead strive to live harmoniously and respectfully with fellow citizens of their country.

  • 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 pile of rubble - corregated metal, wood, and various other objects - is heaped where a building once stood.
    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.

  • Church Leaders Face Violence from Multiple Sides
    A large church with several spires.
    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.

  • Displaced Christians Driven From Their Homes
    A large group of people are gathered around a small mosque.
    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.

  • Military Officers Arrest Christian Refugees
    A group of men are standing together. They appear to be singing.
    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.