In Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan, it is hard for Christians to have their own place - even after they have died. The city's Christian cemetery, which has been turned into a sales park for second hand cars, illustrates well the challenges faced by the minority Christian community in the northern, predominantly Muslim part of the country.
The main - and only 'official' - Christian cemetery in this city of about 8 million inhabitants occupies 1,6 hectare of land given to the Khartoum churches with that purpose by the former vice president Abel Alier in 1975. The Sudan Council of Churches (SCC) holds the property rights on behalf of its member churches.
In order to make a rational use of the space, the premises were divided in two halves and graves were allowed only in one of them. The plan was to start using the second half of the terrain once the capacity of the first one would reach its limit - which is going to happen soon.
But in November 2007, the vacant part of the cemetery was occupied by intruders who set up shop and started to operate a livestock market. "Can you imagine?" - asks Rev Peter Tibi, the general secretary of the SCC - "animals were being sold at a venue which by nature is a holy ground".
After the initial, strong protest of the church leadership, the livestock market was removed from the premises and now takes place a few blocks away. But the goats and sheep were soon replaced - by used cars. The wide, flat area seemed to the traders to make an excellent venue for both car exhibition and test driving.
The illegal occupation of the Christian cemetery was one of the issues raised on 27 March, when the minister of guidance and endowment, Hassan El Tighani, received an international ecumenical team of church representatives led by the World Council of Churches (WCC) General Secretary Rev Dr Samuel Kobia. The group was accompanied by leaders of the SCC, which hosted the visit.
"I was shocked when I learnt that a livestock market was profaning a place that should be sacred", Kobia told the minister, urging for a speedy solution of the problem. Tighani said he shared the concern and assured the delegation of his commitment to follow up on the issue at the council of national ministers.
The ecumenical group visiting the country's capital was one of four teams travelling to different regions, including Darfur, Rumbek and Yambio. Taking place from 26 March to 2 April, the eight-day solidarity visit to churches and ecumenical organizations in Sudan included a three-day conference of church leaders, women and youth in Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan.
