It's reported 12 members of staff at a Christian school in Sudan have been arrested by police. The incident, which happened on Monday in Omdurman, also saw some staff prevented from leaving the campus by law enforcement.

The accusation is that a Muslim group is trying to take over the school, which is known as the Evangelical School of Sudan. There are also reports of arrests being made of two leaders of the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church.

Although the staff have now been released from custody and the others allowed to leave the campus, the incident is thought to be part of an ongoing pattern on intimidation.

Morning Star News reports the incident and says, 'Harassment, arrests and persecution of Christians have intensified since the secession of South Sudan in July 2011, when President Omar al-Bashir vowed to adopt a stricter version of sharia (Islamic law) and recognize only Islamic culture and the Arabic language.' Sudan ranks fifth on Open Doors' 2017 World Watch List of countries where Christians face most persecution.

Although South Sudan has more Christians than Sudan, there is still a substantial Christian community in Sudan. The Evangelical School of Sudan is one of a number of Christian educational institutions.