Bishop Yagoub Boutros, Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sudan, has accused the Sudanese authorities of persecuting religious minorities. This comes after the authorities in Khartoum demolished a church building in Hai Thura Block 29 after attempts by the church to stop the demolition failed.

Authorities of Karari Locality carried out the demolition reportedly claiming the church was built on land allocated for a proposed marketplace. In an interview with Radio Tamazuj from Khartoum, Yagoub said the authorities demolished the church in Omdurman despite the fact that its history dates back to 1984.

The pastor further said the plan to target churches in Sudan has become a general issue, saying the Evangelical Lutheran Church is not the first church that has been demolished. The religious leader claimed that several churches were targeted in different parts of Sudan, while considering the demolition of the church as “persecution of Christians.”

He also accused the authorities of showing no respect for religious rites. “The authorities' claim that there is coexistence between religions is just for political consumption, but in fact there is no religious coexistence,” he said.

Last year, the Sudanese Minister of Guidance and Religious Endowments announced that the government will not give permits for the building of new churches in the country after the separation of South Sudan, a statement that drew criticism from Sudanese Christian leaders.