ABOUT 55 Christians have reportedly been arrested and held since early February by the Sudanese government, the campaign group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has said.

Some of the group, it says, include church leaders, who have been accused of receiving money from foreign sources, including Israel.

The Bishop of Kajo Keji, in South Sudan, the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo, is currently on sabbatical in the UK. He said that, although he was "aware" of the arrests, he had no further details.

The advocacy director of CSW, Andrew Johnston, said: "We urge the Sudanese government to release these prisoners, and end its campaign of harassment against the Christian community. We also urge the government . . . to ensure that it recognises the rights of all Sudanese citizens to freedom of religion or belief, as outlined in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Sudan is a signatory."

The Bishop of Sherborne, the Rt Revd Graham Kings, has just returned from South Sudan. The diocese of Salisbury has a 40-year-old link with the Episcopal Church of Sudan.