E/CN.4/1993/62
page 95
5.
Exit from and entry into Sudan
The Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 1013 dated 18 October 1992
reaffirms free entry into Sudan and free movement therein see annex 4 for the
text of the Resolution.
6.
Christian displaced persons
The independent expert apointed pursuant to the Confidential decision
adopted without a vote at the Commission’s 32nd (closed) meeting on
18 February 1992, Mr. Gasbar Biro, has visited Sudan during the period
21-27 November 1992 and has visited the places of displaced persons in Sudan.
We believe that his report would reflect that the Government of Sudan is
providing all the services needed and that displacement was caused by
desertification, armed attacks of rebels or town planning. It is worth
mentioning that in the case of town planning, the Government has provided the
displaced with more spacious places and better services. The Government is
really improving their lives rather than forcing them to leave their homes as
alleged.
7.
Christian refugees
During the same period when Mr. Gasbar Biro visited Sudan also a Special
Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dr. Francis Deng, also
visited the Sudan to investigate the allegations about the refugees in the
Sudan. To say the least, he was astonished to find that their situation in
the Sudan has no match to the extent that he went public on the mass media to
express his views. We need not repeat here that the allegations are
groundless and refer you to his report to judge for yourself.
8.
Freedom of education
Islam is not a prerequisite for entry into primary school as alleged.
The allegation is not true but we do not really know how to convince you it is
not true. The only way to refute such unfounded allegations and the
allegation that non-Muslim children in the towns of Juba, Malakal, Raja, Renk
and Wau were required to learn Arabic and study Islam, and other unfounded
allegations, is to welcome you to the Sudan to see for yourself that there is
no such prerequisite.
9.
Obstruction of Churches
Many false allegations were made in this regard that no new Catholic
churches have been built or repaired in Khartoum since 1969, that numerous
churches have been closed, that persons holding religious services risk
imprisonment, that carrying of cross or ringing church bells is prohibited,
that numerous Christian clergymen have been detained, that non-Muslim
prisoners have been pressured to convert to Islam, that 12 Catholic
missionaries have been expelled from Juba, etc. The series of the false
allegations go on and on to an unbelievable extent.
To refute such allegations the Peace and Development Foundation in
Khartoum which is a government entity is organizing an international