From India and china last month we move our focus to Southern Sudan. There there has been civil war for twenty long years; irregular government’ supplied soldiers and local land hungry war lords on the one hand waging unrelenting raids against the poor, largely illiterate and semi-itinerant African population living in the southern half of the country. The United Nations estimate is that over two million people have died and four million have been driven from their homes, most of which have been systematically destroyed.
Just over a year ago a peace agreement for Southern Sudan was signed. So far it has held and many, but far from all, African people are now allowed to return to their former settlements. Remarkably during the oppression of war the Christian faith grew in the face of suffering. Consequently local church leaders are numbered in the forefront of those attempting to regenerate a lost civilisation. The task is immeasurable. Displaced people, desperate poverty, hunger, disease and apathy as well as widespread destruction of infrastructure – roads, towns and villages, water wells, farm stock, crops and seeds, schools, hospitals and churches – confront those working for the government of South Sudan for regeneration. In this the Church of Sudan is welcome and active.
The peace has created a window of opportunity’ for help and our focus falls on Emmanuel Christian Training Centre in Goli where 200 students, drawn from different tribes and denominations – as one in Christ – are training to be pastors and teachers in the Church in Sudan. It is the initiative of the Presbyterian church with the support from Open Doors’ of local language Bibles. All the students can tell horrifying stories of suffering, beatings and persecution for their commitment to Christ. All are charged to carry the torch of faith to corners of the war-torn country. Their mentor at college is Pastor Moses who comes from the Nuba Mountains, graduated at the theological college of the Upper Nile in 1988 but saw many fellow pastors and their flocks murdered. As a result he has care of 13 of his family’s children and presently has inherited’ responsibility for 17 churches. He looks forward to getting help and says it is now essential to reach out and seek quietly to befriend Muslims.
We are asked to give thanks to God for the peace; pray that peace will be sustained and bring real benefits to the people; that the students will return to their communities and serve God faithfully; that the Church will play a key role in overcoming the culture of violence; that pastors may successfully reach out within Muslim areas; that the Church in Sudan may find and equip many more young leaders to serve along the hard road ahead.
The Persecuted Church – Sudan
Anthony Hutton