Presbyterian Evangelical Church Witnesses a Bloody Day

KHARTOUM, April 4, 2017

Yunnan Abduallah Kimbo, one of the leaders of the Presbyterian Evangelical Church in Sudan, was stabbed to death with a knife. Another man, Ayoub Kamama was seriously wounded in his hand and chest as he attempted to catch the killer and was later taken to the hospital. The police arrested 13 people among those holding a sit-in inside the church to protest the plans to sell the land on which the church is built to private investors. An eyewitness, who preferred to conceal his identity, stated that “a police force raided the Evangelical School, violently assaulted worshippers and protestors and arrested 13 men who were later transferred to al-Aawsat Police Station in Omdurman.” Soon after, other police forces showed up, accompanied by the private investors and attempted to force their way into the church. Their efforts were halted by the women protesters in the church. One of the members of the security forces jumped over the school wall, pointing a knife at those gathered. Yunnan got in front of the man trying to protect others, but the attacker stabbed him in his right thigh, cutting a major artery leading to severe bleeding which resulted in his death in Omdurman Hospital at 6:00 pm.

Dr. Jumma Konda, who is close to the church, said that a group of young people (whom he did not identify) signed illegal contracts with an investor that entitles him to turn the land on which the Evangelical Church stand into an investment property for 25 years. Events developed further when the investor attempted to seize the school by force, leading to resistance by the church youth, who also organized a sit in for two weeks in protest. Dr. Konda further elaborated that what has been happening to Christians in Sudan is a result of bad government policies, calling for application of laws set by the state itself which include the right to choose, practice and embrace any religion as outlined in the constitution. He also urged the international community to prioritize the issue of freedom of religion and the rights of Christians in Sudan.

The leadership of the Evangelical Church called for the state to put an end to the interference of the administration of churches which is a unit inside the Ministry of Guidance and Religious Affairs (the governmental body responsible for overseeing all religious affairs in the country) in the internal affairs of the church and to halt the establishment of the committees, which it calls unconstitutional. It pointed out that the matter had risen to the point of murder and that the leadership is committed to implementing the decisions of the Supreme Administrative Appeals Court to call off the work of the committees supported by the Ministry.

The Evangelical School in Omdurman, yesterday commemorated the slain leader, Yunnan. The commemoration event was attended by the US Charge d’Affaires, Mr. Steven Koutsis who corroborated that the Evangelical School has been an affiliate to the American Mission since 1924 and that he is attending the event to console the church and the family of the deceased.

The priest, Yahya Abdelrahim, said that they follow the teachings of Christ which renounce all forms of violence. He stressed the continuation of the sit-in in protest, until the roots of the problem are resolved