A pastor in northern Sudan was arrested last week in what church members say is part of an ongoing effort by a Muslim businessman to take over church property.
Police officers detained the Rev. Daud Fudul Kachu of the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC) in Atbara, River Nile state, on 28 October evening. Witnesses said officers arrived at his home with an arrest warrant and took him to the local police station, where he was held overnight.
Church members said that when Pastor Kachu asked to speak to a church lawyer, police pretended to agree but then forced him into a vehicle. During interrogation the next morning, officers reportedly told him he had 30 days to vacate the church premises, relaying the businessman’s demands.
Police allegedly pressured the pastor to sign a document giving up any claim to the church property, but he refused. He was released without bail later that day after intervention by a church lawyer. Pastor Kachu has led the congregation for three decades.
Authorities are also said to be seeking other church council members linked to the case.
The dispute over church property is part of a broader struggle that has affected several SPEC institutions across Sudan. In recent years, Muslim business interests have attempted to claim church-owned land and buildings, often with government support.
In September, the Evangelical School of Sudan in Omdurman faced another attempted takeover. Three men reportedly entered the school compound, threatened displaced Christians sheltering there, and damaged the headmaster’s office door. The school has been repeatedly targeted since the era of former president Omar al-Bashir.
Sudan remains a challenging place for Christians. About 93 percent of the population is Muslim, while Christians make up just over 2 percent, according to the Joshua Project.
The ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began in April 2023, has worsened conditions. Both groups have attacked churches and Christian communities, accusing them of siding with rival forces. Tens of thousands have been killed, and nearly 12 million people have been displaced, according to the United Nations.
After a period of progress following Bashir’s removal in 2019, religious freedom has sharply declined since the military coup in October 2021. Gains made by the transitional government, including the removal of harsh sharia-based laws, have been largely reversed.
Sudan ranks fifth on the 2025 Open Doors World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most persecution, up from eighth place last year.
Adapted from Morning Star News.
