This is a guest post by Abu Faris
As the war unfolds between the rump Islamist northern state of Sudan and the newly liberated Republic of South Sudan, al-Bashar’s military-Islamist coalition state in the north has given Southerners still resident in the north until the end of this month to be quit of his vile clerical fascist state.
Just so they get the hint and go about ethnically cleansing themselves, the mostly Southern and Christian community in north Sudan have been repeatedly threatened with persecution. Good to their word, the Islamists and their corrupt, murderous allies in State Security and the Armed Forces of the northern Republic have begun a campaign of direct violence aimed at the Christian minority – especially those Christian sects and churches mostly associated with Southerners.
Yesterday saw the attack of an Episcopalian (Anglican) church complex in the Sawafi district of Khartoum. Days in advance a previously unknown Islamist, Muhammad Abdel-Kareem announced his intention of burning the home for the elderly, clinic, boarding school and monastic site to the ground as it allegedly affronted Islam.
Quite aware of this threat, the usually efficient security police in Khartoum however made no effort to detain Abdel-Kareem nor his followers. Sure of success, Abdel-Kareem and his posse yesterday afternoon gathered at 60th Street, a main road of Khartoum, marched towards the Anglican Church located in the Sawafi area, where they were confronted by a small detachment of local police. The latter made no effort whatsoever to stop the Islamist horde from slipping past their cordon and burning the church complex to the ground. Fortunately no one was injured or killed. Equally, no one was arrested for the arson.
Residents in the district told that they had been given advance notice of the intentions of Abdel-Kareem’s group, that the local police were in collusion with the group and that the overall aim was to spark a pogrom against the local, mostly Southern and Christian community.
Glass litters the grounds of the former church, melted into weird shapes. Echoes of other times, other persecutions abound.
The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.