Update: Talisman Accused of Cover-Up

Ian Taylor, Former Talisman Employee
The lawsuit by the Presbyterian Church of Sudan against Talisman Energy, a Canadian oil company, has taken a further twist.  A sworn statement of a former Talisman employee claims that the oil company deliberately destroyed evidence of human rights abuses, allowed its airfields to be used by the Sudanese military in attacks against the south.  The statement also claims that the company masqueraded security advisers as community development officers.  Ian Taylor, Talisman's former manager of community development in Sudan, gave the sworn statement in September 2001.  Tragically, he died of a heart attack last fall.  In his statement, he wrote "I feel a deep sense of shame for not realizing Talisman's true objective earlier than I did and I experience daily nightmares based on fear for my eternal soul for the role I have played in the murder, starvation and displacement of the southern Sudanese people." 

An Ontario Superior Court justice has also ordered Taylor's family to turn over all of Ian's correspondence and documents that might shed light on the case. While the lawsuit has been filed in New York, the Taylors live in Canada, which is why the church requested the involvement of the Ontario judge.  The family only hesitated to release the documents until receiving a court order due to concerns of retribution from Talisman.  The ruling can be viewed online.

  • Country Information

    Population
    49,197,555 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Sudanese Arab (70), Fur, Beja, Nuba and Fallata (30)

    Religion
    Sunni Muslim, small Christian minority

    Leader
    President (to be determined)
    Transitional military leadership in place

    Government type
    Presidential republic

    Legal system
    Mixed legal system of Islamic law and English common law

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for Sudan

    Pray that Christians throughout Sudan will continue to entrust themselves to Christ and preach the Gospel boldly, knowing Jesus is the ruler over the kings of the earth (2 Timothy 1:7-12, Revelation 1:5).

    Pray also that peace, justice and religious freedom may be firmly established.

Sudan News

  • Humanitarian Aid Denied to Muslim-Background Believers
    A group of people are gathered closely together under a rudimentary shelter made of poles and white cloth.
    Refugees in Sudan
    Photo: Flickr / EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (cc)

    Now in its eighth month, Sudan's civil war has displaced over six million people, many of whom were forced to take refuge in camps where food and other basic resources are scarce. Some humanitarian assistance has been provided to the country, which is then distributed through smaller local aid groups. According to a Christian ministry worker in the region, this aid has been denied to some displaced followers of Jesus.

  • Christians Wounded Amid Military Violence
    Coptic church and bell towers in Kosti, Sudan
    A Coptic church in Sudan.
    Photo: Wikipedia / Bertramz (cc)

    Five Christians were injured when unidentified gunmen entered a Coptic Orthodox church in Omdurman, Sudan, in the early morning hours of May 14th. Those wounded during the attack were Rev. Arsanius Zaria and his son, a church cantor, a guard and another parishioner. All five believers received hospital treatment and have since been released.

  • Church Leader Arrested on False Allegations
    A service at a chapel in Sudan.
    A chapel in Sudan.
    Photo: VOMC

    For two years, Abdalla Haroun Sulieman lived in Lebanon. Upon returning to Sudan in February 2022, Abdalla declared that he had come to faith in Christ. While sharing his newfound faith with the people of his community, he also prayed with them, frequently asking God to minister healing to those struggling with infirmities.

  • Apostasy Charges Added to Christian Couple's Case
    Blurred faces of Nada and Hamouda
    Nada and Hamouda
    Photo: ADF International

    Hamouda Teya Kaffi and his wife Nada Hamad Koko have been facing ongoing problems since he first came to faith in Christ during 2018. Since it was unlawful for a Muslim woman to marry a non-Muslim man, Nada's family initially forced her to have the marriage annulled by an Islamic court. At the time, Hamouda could have been accused of apostasy, an offence punishable by death, but he was fortunately spared of any criminal charges.