April 22, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – A pastor in the Sudanese capital
confirmed that a group of Islamic fundamentalists attacked his church
over the weekend and set it on fire.
- FILE - A man
prays during Easter Sunday service at Episcopal Church of the Sudan
Diocese of Khartoum All Saints Cathedral in Khartoum April 24, 2011
(Reuters)
"They burned Bibles and torched the school for training clergy on the
farm, as well as the residence of the students," Pastor Yusuf Matar
Kodi told Agence France Presse (AFP).
Supporters of the group led by hard-line figure Muhammad Abdel-Kareem
gathered at 60th Street, a main road of Khartoum, and marched towards
the Evangelical Church located in the Sawafi area.
They were met by Sudanese security forces which surrounded the church
and prevented the group from entering it by imposing a cordon.
However, some individuals from the group managed to sneak through the barrier and set the church on fire.
The church contains a home for the elderly, clinic, educational classrooms and houses students as well as monks.
Three worship halls that served as public churches were also destroyed, Kodi said, blaming the attack on Islamic extremists.