CV NEWS FEED // Sudan’s government has, within the past three months, thrown 19 Christians in jail on accusations of supporting a military group that opposes the current government. Local Christian authorities state that the allegations are unfounded.
Morning Star News states that the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) accused various Christians of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF has been fighting the SAF since April 2023.
In the first incident, the SAF arrested seven Christians traveling to Wad Madani, the capital of Al Jazirah state, on Jan. 21. The Christians, identified as Akech Otin, Abraham John, Patrice Saeed, Peter Makuei, Rani Andraws, Ammanuel, and James, are all members of the Sudan Council of Churches. They were on their way to the Inter-Church Committee’s thanksgiving prayer meeting.
The Christians were initially held in the Joint Military Cell on Nile Avenue in Wad Madani, according to attorney Shinbago Mugaddam. There, they were interrogated for a week before they were transferred to Madani Prison.
Local church leaders stated that the Christians are not affiliated with RSF.
Mugaddam told Morning Star News that Christian leaders in the area requested that seven prisoners be released. So far the request has been ignored.
Mugaddam added that in Wad Rawah, which is about 58 miles from Wad Madani, 12 Christians have been arrested since January. They, too, were accused of supporting the RSF. Their location is currently unknown.
“This is systematic targeting of Christians who are arrested without taking them to a court of law to get justice,” Mugaddam said.
Recent changes to the law have given Sudan’s intelligence agents more power and authority, Morning Star News states. The General Intelligence Service (GIS) Law (2024 Amendment) allows intelligence officers to summon and interrogate individuals, conduct surveillance and searches, detain suspects, and seize assets.
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