The Sudanese government has been reportedly holding 55 Christians in prison for over two weeks without charge.
The group, which includes church leaders, has been falsely accused of receiving money from foreign countries, according to anti-persecution charity Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
The arrests are the latest development in a wave of repression that began towards the end of last year. Since then a number of Sudanese Christians have been detained for questioning by the security services.
According to local reports, the repression was preceded by a media campaign against 'Christianisation', and was accompanied by the closure of a number of Christian-affiliated schools, colleges and training centres.
There have been concerns about increasing pressure on churches in Sudan since the creation of South Sudan in 2011. President Al-Bashir has repeatedly stated that Sudan's new constitution would be 100 percent Islamic.
The president has also claimed that 'all parties, religious sects and Sufis' would be represented in the constitutional drafting committee; however, no further details have been given about its progress.
CSW's Mervyn Thomas tells Premier the country remains in turmoil since the split with the mainly Christian South Sudan in 2011:
Amnesty International said tensions have been spiralling in South Sudan's mainly Christian Bahr El Ghazal state following a series of arrests by the state authorities and a security clampdown that has left 24 dead and more than 60 injured. The organisation's calling for a thorough investigation into the largely unreported events of December 2012, where security forces killed 11 people following road blocks and protests in Wau town.
The protests began over the state government's decision to move Wau County headquarters from Wau to Bagari – a town 19 kilometres away. And you can hear the entire interview on Sudan with CSW on Voice for the Voiceless on Premier this Saturday at 11.30am.