Eight men were detained in April for attending a seminar organized by an opposition activist. In September, several students were wounded and dozens arrested as police cracked down on an antigovernment protest. The government treats Islam as the state religion, and the constitution claims Sharia as the source of its legislation. At least 75 percent of Sudanese are Muslim, though most southern Sudanese adhere to Christian or traditional indigenous beliefs. Under the 1994 Societies Registration Act, religious groups must register in order to gather legally.
Registration is reportedly difficult to obtain.
The government continues to deny the Roman Catholic Church permission to build churches while it destroys Christian schools, churches, and centers. Catholic priests face random detention and interrogation by police. A Canadian Catholic priest was expelled in August with no official explanation. Islamic organizations associated with the banned Ummah and Democratic Unionist parties are regularly denied permission to hold public gatherings. Their leaders were harassed and detained intermittently in 1999.