Africa-Press – South-Sudan. A South Sudanese pastor has accused authorities in Khartoum of deliberately targeting churches frequented by South Sudanese nationals, following the demolition of two places of worship over the weekend.
Juma Sapana, a pastor with the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS), told Eye Radio from Khartoum that the demolitions took place in El Haj Yousif, in the Eastern Nile area of the capital, and were carried out without any prior notice to church officials.
According to Pastor Sapana, one of the buildings torn down belonged to the Pentecostal Church. He added that additional structures, including church offices, guest houses, and related facilities, were also destroyed.
He said the actions were widely condemned by local congregants and religious leaders, calling them a “flagrant violation of religious freedoms” and reminiscent of historical patterns of discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities in Sudan.
Speaking emotionally from the scene, Pastor Sapana made a plea for unity and global support.
“This is our message to you: please pray for us. As you can see, what is happening right here, we don’t know why this church was destroyed. It’s heartbreaking,” he said.
“We are sending this message to others—pray for us, pray for Sudan, and pray for the church in Sudan. This is the head of the Pentecostal Church of Sudan.
“They are here, and we—brothers from other churches—are here too. I am from the ECS Church, others are from the Sudan Christian Church, and the Catholic Church. All of us are united here.”
The UK-based rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide also condemned the demolitions, accusing Sudanese authorities of violating international humanitarian law by targeting places of worship.
The incident follows a recent declaration by the Sudanese Armed Forces that Khartoum is now free of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), raising concerns of renewed crackdowns on minority communities under the guise of restoring control.
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