Thirteen Christians from four different churches were arrested in the town of Nyala (South Darfur) by Sudan"s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on 10 October 2018, as reported by Morning Star News on 17 October 2018. The Christians had been attending a joint-meeting for worship. The Christians were released after a few days but not before being beaten, according to World Watch Monitor reporting on 23 October 2018. Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research (WWR), states: "Sudan"s authorities are known for grossly violating freedom of religion and as a result the country has been on the US State Department"s list of Countries of Particular Concern for almost two decades. Indeed, the treatment of Christians by Sudan"s Islamist government was highlighted by WWR research published in May 2016 as showing indications of ethnic cleansing. The reported arrest and beating of Christians in the hands of the Sudanese authorities in October 2018 is a reminder of the fact that the government has not changed its policy towards Christians in the country. It is therefore essential that those calling for the lifting of sanctions against Sudan first consider the country"s continued violation of freedom of religion."