Sudan Government Shuts Down Coptic Church After 30 Years: Extremists Celebrate as Christians Lose Everything

Sudan Authorities Block Coptic Church Rebuilding After 30 Years of Worship

Authorities in Sudan's Northern State have ordered a Coptic Christian community in Wad Diab Al Gaba to cease all worship activities and halt the reconstruction of their church building, according to a report by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) published on February 17, 2026.

The community of approximately 350 members, comprising 65 families, had used a church building on land owned by Mr. Zaki Wanees Abadeer for over 30 years. In 2019, heavy rains severely damaged the structure, prompting the congregation to demolish it and raise funds to rebuild using bricks and mortar.

By December 2025, the new building was nearly complete. However, Muslim extremists in the area forcibly stopped the work and filed a complaint with local authorities against the property owner. Officials then ordered all construction and worship activities to stop until a permit was issued for the church.

The local authority has refused to issue the necessary permits, effectively leaving the entire community without a place to gather or worship.

This community of 65 families has used the church for 30 years and is now left without a place to gather safely, which violates their right to freedom of religion or belief.

Mervyn Thomas, CSW founder and president, made this statement. He also noted that the context of a war does not permit this type of repression of the right to freedom of religion or belief.

CSW reports that Sudanese authorities have a long pattern of facilitating mosque construction while systematically using bureaucratic obstacles to prevent the establishment of churches. Issues surrounding the informal construction of places of worship have been a longstanding concern, with discriminatory zoning rules applied selectively to demolish churches while mosques receive government support.

In July 2025, the Sudanese Armed Forces bulldozed a Pentecostal church in Khartoum after regaining control of the area. Since the civil war began in April 2023 between the SAF and the Rapid Support Forces, at least 165 churches have been destroyed across the country.

Coptic Christians in Sudan Denied Right to Rebuild and Worship at Their Own Church

Sudan currently ranks as the fourth most dangerous country in the world for Christians, according to the 2026 Open Doors World Watch List. The ongoing civil war has displaced nearly 10 million people, with Christians targeted in the Darfur, Blue Nile, Nuba Mountain, and capital regions.

CSW has called for international intervention in post conflict reconstruction negotiations to protect vulnerable religious communities' property rights and ensure their freedom to worship.

The Crusader's Opinion

Let us be absolutely clear about what is happening here. A Christian community worshipped peacefully for three decades. They raised their own money. They rebuilt their own church with their own hands. And the moment Muslim extremists complained, the government shut it all down. No permit. No worship. No rights.

This is not bureaucracy. This is persecution dressed in paperwork. The same government that builds mosques with state support tells Christians they need a permit that will never come. Imagine if a Muslim community in London or New York was told they could not rebuild their mosque after a flood. The entire world would erupt. But when it happens to Coptic Christians in Sudan, the silence is deafening.

We will not be silent. These are our brothers and sisters, and their suffering demands our voice and our action.

Take Action

• Donate to The Shepherd's Shield to support persecuted Christians in Africa and the Middle East.
• Support Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the organization reporting on and advocating for this community.
• Give to Open Doors USA to support the underground church in Sudan and other hostile nations.
• Contact your elected representatives and urge them to pressure the Sudanese government to uphold religious freedom. In the US, call the State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom at (202) 647 4000.
• Pray specifically for the 65 Coptic families in Wad Diab Al Gaba. Pray for their safety, for the permit to be granted, and for the completion of their church building.