Photo by Jean Marc MOJON / AFP via Newscentral.
Christian leaders in Sudan have expressed concern over a shipment of Bibles detained by officials in the country located in northeastern Africa.
Chairman of the Sudan Pentecostal Church Mr Saad Idris Komi said officials refused to release the shipment of Bibles earlier this month, demanding customs fees from which it is exempt.
According to official sources, Sudan’s Fundamental Rights and Freedoms Act of 2020 eliminates customs duties for religious literature, including Bibles.
Morning Star News quotes Mr Boutros Badawi, a Christian activist and advisor to Sudan’s Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments as raising a complaint about the detained shipment during a workshop on religious freedom in Khartoum on 8th August, 2021.
Uganda Christian News understands this is not the first time Sudanese authorities have detained a container of Bibles. In 2017, shipments destined for the Sudan’s capital, Khartoum were detained over a period of two years in Port Sudan without explanation, according to Evangelical Focus.
Other international Bible providers have also complained of Sudan detaining shipping containers full of Bibles , usually due to corruption, but in some cases also “to keep Christian scripture out of the country.”
Detainment of Bibles in Sudan also took place before 2011, with one shipment held up for nearly four years, according to Bible Society officials.
Church leaders who have spoken to faith-based media say there is a dire need for Arabic-language Bibles among the country’s estimated 2 million Christians.
