Sudan: Information on the treatment of Roman Catholics in the Sudan, particularly in Khartoum

Representatives of the Catholic Conference of Bishops in Ottawa and the Groupe d'action pour le Soudan based in Montreal, both stated that the life of Catholics in Khartoum, and of Christians in general, are circumscribed in Sudan because of the Sudanese government policy of islamization (14 Dec. 1994; 19 Dec. 1994).

A letter received from the New Sudan Council of Churches based in Nairobi states the following:

The Roman Catholic Church leaders have been the most articulate spokespersons and critics of this current government. Because of that, there are tensions between the church and the government... But in the last two years there have been consistent efforts to discredit the church and many priests and some bishops have been and still are black listed by the government (17 Dec. 1994).

A recent report published by Human Rights Watch/Africa notes that restrictions on Sudanese Christian Churches date back to the Foreign Missionary Society Act of 1962, which treats churches as foreign entities (Nov. 1994, 39). This report also states that non-Muslim citizens are subject to harassment and lack of equality in religious matters (ibid., 40). Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 1993 corrobrates the above mention. It states that Christians require a government permit to build a church but this restriction does not apply to Muslims. "In the predominantly Muslim areas of northern Sudan, however, Christians have not received a government permit to build a church, and no new churches have been built, since the early 1970s ... There were reliable reports in some war zones, particularly in the Nuba mountains, that government forces closed churches and restricted movements of Christian clergy" (ibid., 281).

A December 1992 report entitled "The Church and Christians in the Sudans: Persecution by the Fundamentalist Islamic Government," which was written by the missions department of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in Ottawa, maintains that

... Christians, and especially Catholics, have had to suffer under a fundamentalist Islamic government which, in addition to religious discrimination, is engaged in a truly active persecution, tangible and omnipresent, even extending to some of the most remote regions of the country. While this persecution has been apparent for some decades, it has worsened considerably during the past two years.

In a telephone interview with the DIRB, the author stated that the situation in Sudan "does not show any improvement" (14 Dec. 1994).

Apprently the government has initiated dialogue among various religious groups. During an International Inter-Faith Conference hosted by the government and attended by representatives from more than 40 countries, the Archbishop of Khartoum made the following statement:

"C'est une grave erreur de croire que nous vivons ici dans un paradis de tolérance religieuse. Certains chrétiens souffrent de discrimination à l'école, sur leur lieu de travail, dans l'armée, pour se loger, ou trouver un emploi...Il faut l'admettre (Jeune Afrique" 26 Oct. 1994).

According to the Sudan Democratic Gazette, the president of the Sudan announced the repeal of the 1962 Christian Missionnary Society Act during the conference to appease foreign religious leaders, but the gazette doubts that this would translate into meaningful changes that would bring peace to the lives of the Christians in the Sudan (Dec. 1994, 1).

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Ottawa. 14 December 1994. Telephone interview with missions department.

. December 1992. "The Church and Christians in the Sudan: Persecution by the Fundamentalist Islamic Government."

Report faxed to DIRB.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 1993. 1994. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.

Groupe d'action pour le Soudan, Montreal. 19 December 1994. Telephone interview with representative.

Human Rights Watch/Africa [New York]. November 1994. Vol 6. No. 9. "Sudan: 'In the Name of God:' Repression Continues in Northern Sudan."

Jeune Afrique [Paris]. 20-26 octobre 1994. No. 1763. "Soudan: L'arme de la religion."

The New Sudan Council of Churches. 17 December 1994. Letter faxed to the DIRB by World Council of Churches, Geneva.

Sudan Democratic Gazette [London]. December 1994. No. 55. "The Endless Games of Deceit Khartoum Plays on the Churches."

Attachments

Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Ottawa. December 1992. "The Church and Christians in the Sudan: Persecution by the Fundamentalist Islamic Government."

Human Rights Watch/Africa [New York]. November 1994. Vol 6. No. 9. "Sudan: 'In the Name of God:' Repression Continues in Northern Sudan," pp. 39-40.

Jeune Afrique [Paris]. 20-26 octobre 1994. No. 1763. "Soudan: L'arme de la religion," p.6.

The New Sudan Council of Churches. 17 December 1994. Letter faxed to the DIRB by World Council of Churches, Geneva.

Sudan Democratic Gazette [London]. December 1994. No. 55. "The Endless Games of Deceit Khartoum Plays on the Churches," p.1.