More good news from Sudan as a shipment of Bibles, held for years, is cleared

Since 2011 government customs officials have delayed the clearing of Arabic Bibles through Port Sudan, without explanation. This left Bibles decaying in shipping containers at the port for years. Church leaders appealed to different authorities to get Bibles cleared through customs, but to no avail. Then, two weeks ago, the government suddenly cleared a shipment that has been stuck at the port for many years. The newly cleared Bibles have since been transported to Khartoum, to the great excitement of Christians there!

After years of a hold-ups, the Sudanese government has cleared a shipment of Arabic Bibles, bringing great joy to our Sudanese brothers and sisters.

Since 2011 government customs officials have delayed the clearing of Arabic Bibles through Port Sudan, without explanation. This left Bibles decaying in shipping containers at the port for years. Church leaders appealed to different authorities to get Bibles cleared through customs, but to no avail.

Then, two weeks ago, the government suddenly cleared a shipment that has been stuck at the port for many years. The newly cleared Bibles have since been transported to Khartoum, to the great excitement of Christians there!

An Open Doors contact says, “Please join us in praising the Lord for this breakthrough and praying that He will direct His Word to reach everyone who hungers and thirsts for it. Pray that its words will revive those who know the Lord, and bring to life many who are still in darkness.”

This follows a recent decision by the Sudanese government to return ownership of 19 church properties to the Sudanese Church of Christ, two years after they were confiscated.

Persecution in Sudan

Sudan is fourth on the 2018 Open Doors World Watch List of the 50 countries where Christians face the most persecution. A recent report from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) highlighted that ‘that there is no religious freedom’ in Sudan and that the Sudanese government is guilty of ‘discreet and systematic acts of persecution’.

For Sudanese Christians this means a constant struggle to get permission to build churches or even to prove that they own the churches which have already been built. It means seeing your property seized and demolished, the land sold off to investors. It means being arrested and detained, often without charge. And even for those brave pastors who successfully challenge these actions in the courts, pastors told USCIRF that ‘even when they have success in civil court cases, there is no change, and the decisions are ignored’.

Let’s pray that this recent run of good news is the start of a change for our church family in Sudan, and that the opposition faced by churches and their leaders will soon come to an end. 

Your support is changing lives

Through partnerships with the local church, Open Doors equips church leaders in Sudan for different aspects of ministry, supports community development, and provides practical assistance to persecuted Christians. This includes literature distribution projects, theological and discipleship training and trauma care training, training to help believers to stand firm through persecution, and community development projects.

Watch this short video to see the incredible impact of your support and prayers for our church family in Sudan:

£20 can provide food aid to a hungry family in Africa for two weeks, to help them survive.