2/20/2017  Sudan  (Morning Star News) State officials in Sudan plan to demolish at least 25 church buildings in the Khartoum area, according to Christian leaders. The government reportedly claimed the churches were built on land zoned for other uses, but Christian leaders said it is part of wider crack-down on Christianity. The order targets a wide range of denominations, from Roman Catholic to Pentecostal. Since 2012, the Sudanese government has bulldozed church buildings and harassed and expelled foreign Christians, usually on the claim that the buildings belonged to South Sudanese. The Sudanese Minister of Guidance and Endowments announced in April 2013 that no new licenses would be granted for building new churches in Sudan. Sudan ranks fifth on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List of countries where Christians face most persecution.  Please pray… Pray that the Lord will protect the church buildings in Sudan, and that He will provide alternate meeting places if churches are destroyed. Pray that the Sudanese Christians will continue to shine brightly in the darkness caused by Islam, and that the Lord would draw more and more Sudanese to Christ.

1/30/2017   South Sudan   (Morning Star News)  A judge in Sudan on Sunday (Jan. 29) sentenced Czech aid worker Petr Jasek to life in prison  (a life sentence is 20 years in Sudan) and two other Christians to prison terms of 12 years on charges related to “espionage,” a defense attorney said.  Along with the life sentence for espionage and waging war against the state, Jasek was fined 100,000 Sudanese pounds (US$16,000). In Prague, the Czech Foreign Ministry said the verdict was without basis, and that the foreign minister is prepared to go negotiate if necessary. The Foreign Ministry said Jasek was in Sudan only to help Christians. Also on Sunday, the court in Khartoum convicted the Rev. Hassan Abdelrahim Tawor and Abdulmonem Abdumawla of Darfur for assisting Jasek in the alleged espionage, causing hatred among communities and spreading false information. They received 10-year sentences for espionage-related charges, and two years of prison for “inciting hatred between sects” and “propagation of false news.” Defense attorneys planned to file an appeal. Advocacy group Middle East Concern (MEC), which confirmed the life sentence for Jasek, also reported that 25 churches are threatened with demolition in Sudan. Sudan ranked fifth on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch […]

1/5/2017  Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) 　On January 2, the prosecution rested its case in the trial of two Sudanese Christian pastors who face possible death sentences because of their Christian faith. At the end of the hearing, one pastor, Kuwa Shamal, was freed. The other, Pastor Hassan Abduraheem, was left in prison to continue to the next phase of the trial where he will defend himself against serious charges that could result in the death penalty. 　Pastor Kuwa has been held at the hands of Sudan’s National Intelligence Security Service (NISS) since last December, so his release is an answer to many prayers and the result of diligent legal work on the ground in Sudan. 　But the news for Pastor Hassan was not as hopeful.  The judge announced that he would proceed with charges against Pastor Hassan and two other men （Czech aid worker, Petr Jasek, and human rights advocate Abdulmonem Abdumawla) standing trial with him. The Sudanese defense team for Pastor Hassan must now give proof of his innocence at the next hearing on January 9. Let’s pray… Pray that the Lord will move the heart of the judge, and Petr Jasek, Pastor Abduraheem, and Mr. Abdumawla will also be acquitted. Pray that they will remain firm in the Lord, […]

9/20/2016 Sudan (Christian Today) Bishop, Andudu Adam Elnail called for the United Nations and the U.S. to help the pastors on trial in Sudan. Pastors Hassan Abduraheem and Kuwa Shamal, on trial with Czech Christian Petr Jasek and human rights activist Abdulmonem Abdumawla face capital charges including espionage and waging war against the state. The U.S. State Department has designated Sudan a “Country of Particular Concern” since 1999 due to the violation of human rights and persecution of Christians in the country. Let’s pray… Pray for the swift and safe release of the four men facing the death penalty in Sudan. Pray for Christians in Sudan who do not have freedom of religion because they are discriminated and treated as second class citizens. Pray that hostilities in Sudan to come to an end; pray that God will help Sudan’s leaders to amicably settle their political differences and in His mercy bring peace to this nation.