A Christian congregation in Sudan’s Omdurman city faces the possible demolition of its church building following warnings from local authorities, despite claims that the property has been legally owned and used for worship for decades.
The Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC), located in the Al-Murzouq area of Omdurman, serves approximately 300 worshippers and has been embroiled in a prolonged dispute with land authorities over the status of its property.
Church leaders say officials have threatened to remove the building on the grounds that it occupies public land, an allegation they reject.
The congregation says it possesses legal ownership documents establishing its rights to the property.
Church leaders challenge demolition threat
According to reports by Morning Star News and Sudanese media, land officials arrived at the church in Block 59 on July 21 without prior notification and informed its leadership that the building was scheduled for demolition.
Pastor Tia Alasara Malasa Kuku said the congregation presented property documents showing that the building had been established in the 1980s.
The officials subsequently directed church representatives to the land authorities in Kereri locality.
However, the matter remained unresolved after the congregation’s documents were referred to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and subsequently to the Department of Engineering Affairs and Urban Planning.
Church leaders say the documents have remained under administrative review without a final decision.
Authorities initially gave the congregation two weeks to settle the dispute before extending the deadline by another week in early August.
Despite those extensions, the church says it has received no definitive assurance that its building will be protected.
Religious freedom concerns
Pastor Malasa Kuku has accused the authorities of targeting the congregation because of its Christian identity.
Church representatives argue that the dispute concerns more than land administration, warning that demolition would deprive hundreds of worshippers of an established place of religious practice.
The latest reports have revived concerns about the treatment of Christian communities in areas controlled by Sudan’s military and the SAF government.
Christian organisations have repeatedly reported disputes involving church properties, restrictions on religious activities and difficulties securing official recognition for places of worship.
Morning Star News also reported that another Protestant congregation in southern Khartoum received a separate demolition warning earlier this year.
In that case, officials reportedly claimed that the church occupied land designated for a road, an allegation rejected by its leadership.
The incidents have raised concerns among Christian representatives about the security of religious properties during Sudan’s prolonged political and military crisis.
Congregation awaits decision
There has been no independently verified announcement of a final demolition order or a court ruling resolving the Al-Murzouq church dispute.
The position of the local land authorities on the ownership documents submitted by the congregation also remains unclear.
For the approximately 300 people who depend on the church, the prolonged uncertainty has created fears that their place of worship could be removed before the dispute is settled.
Church leaders are calling for their ownership documents to be properly examined and for the building to remain protected while the matter is under review.
