Activities like singing hymns in the teeming market outside the church were stopped, he said. Suliman Baldo, senior adviser at the Enough Project, which supports peace and an end to atrocities in Africa’s conflict zones, said the al-Bashir regime targeted the Christian faith. During past holiday seasons, many recalled, posters would appear on the streets warning against celebrating with the “kofar,” or infidels, a reference to Christians. Pastor Hafiz Dasta, of the Bahri church, said a Muslim cousin can now ring in the season with him. Many Christians acknowledge that some churches were built without permits, but they say obtaining the required paperwork under al-Bashir's government proved virtually impossible.

Source: International New York Times December 26, 2019 20:03 UTC