KHARTOUM, Apr. 20, 01 (CWNews.com/Fides) -The leaders of 10 Christian denominations have protested to the Sudanese premier over the treatment of Christians during Holy Week and Easter when more than 100 worshippers were arrested and given harsh sentences following unrest sparked by the cancellation of an inter-denominational open-air Easter service.
Moreover on Easter Monday, April 16, an airplane carrying the bishop of El Obeid, Macram Max Gassis, on a pastoral visit to Catholics, was caught in an attack by government bombers on an airfield in the Nuba mountain region. The bishop and his entourage were unhurt but a militiaman was killed and two civilians were injured. The Khartoum regime has long seen the bishop as an obstacle to their efforts to depopulate and demoralize the people of the Nuba region which is rich in resources.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), based in the United Kingdom, recalls that Article 24 of Sudan's 1998 constitution provides for freedom of religion and guarantees religious coexistence, but the Khartoum government continues to suppress Sudanese Christians. In an appeal launched today, the CSW reports that German evangelist Reinhard Bonnke was to lead an ecumenical Easter service on April 10, in Khartoum's Green Square. Last year he held a similar event which went off peacefully. As usual the churches paid US$2,400 for the rental of Green Square. However, the Khartoum authorities insisted on a change of venue to the outskirts of town on a site owned by Muslim fundamentalists who, prior to the event, whipped up anti-Christian sentiment accusing Bonnke of being a "witchcraft infidel and a blasphemous Christian."
Given the air of menace, church leaders decided to cancel the service but many Christians, unaware of the cancellation, gathered in Green Square as previously advertised. Police used tear gas and force to disperse them, and some responded by stoning passing vehicles.
Three people suffered gunshot wounds and others were seriously beaten and wounded. All Saints Cathedral, where several people had gathered to pray, was severely damaged in a police attack. About 100 people were reportedly arrested. On April 12, 57 of those arrested were brought to court and denied legal representation: 48 men were sentenced to twenty lashes, while three boys and six women were given five lashes each. Flogging is usually reserved for offenses involving the consumption of alcohol or illicit sexual relations. The remaining 48 people were sentenced to 20 days in prison.