Sudan: Khartoum Church Faces Administrative Push Over Property Control

International Christian Concern (ICC) reports that the Sudanese Church of Christ, Marzouq Branch in Khartoum—established in 1982—is at the center of a struggle over who controls church property. Citing local sources and a pastor who asked to remain anonymous, ICC says authorities are moving to sell or transfer control of the site, using papers, recognized committees, and legal pressure rather than force alone. Court records and administrative communications over several years, per ICC, show state-recognized leadership committees elevated while opposing voices face dismissals and prolonged cases; some leaders have been beaten, disappeared, imprisoned, or forced into exile, according to the same report.

The framing is administrative and property-based: division among “shepherds,” then seizure or transfer of land and buildings. Sudan’s war, which erupted in 2023 between rival armed factions, has already left churches damaged and looted in Khartoum; ICC notes that surviving congregations remain exposed to discriminatory practice and official interference. On Sep 10, 2026, United Nations Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan Pekka Haavisto met Sudanese church leaders in Khartoum who described damage to places of worship and years of marginalization, ICC reported.