South Sudan

Harassment, violence and arrests of Christians have reportedly intensified since the secession of South Sudan, when Sudan president Omar al Bashir vowed to adopt a stricter version of sharia and recognize only Islamic culture and the Arabic language.

Non-Arab Christians in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains said they feel forgotten after Sudanese air forces killed at least 11 of the faithful in bombings before and after Christmas.

The Sudanese government has stepped up bombing of its own non-Arab civilians in Christian areas of Sudan's South Kordofan state the past month, killing a 1-year-old baby and wounding others, sources said.

A major operation by Barnabas Aid to resuce 2,000 Christian women and children trapped in Sudan got underway Sept. 19, with the first successful airlift to South Sudan.

After decades of conflict, South Sudan seceded from Sudan on July 9, 2011, prompting an influx of returning refugees seeking freedom and a new life after years of uncertainty. But for many returnees, the happy ending they were seeking has proven more elusive than they had hoped.

The United Nations Refugee Agency warned Friday that a major humanitarian crisis is now underway in South Sudan as thousands of refugees flee attacks by Sudan.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has vowed to rid the Nuba Mountains of Christians and those he claims are agents of the West.

Security agents in Sudan's South Darfur state have closed down the Nyala offices of the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC) and relief group Sudan Aid without explanation.

Tensions have turned into military combat on the South Sudan border, and Islamists have threatened to seize a Bible school in Khartoum.