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Lambeth - Statement of Sudanese Bishops on the situation in Sudan
From
Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>
Date
Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:38:47 -0700
Lambeth Daily
Statement of the Sudanese Bishops to the Lambeth Conference on the
situation in Sudan
Posted On : July 28, 2008 5:37 PM | Posted By : Webmaster
Related Categories: News
Presented by the Most Revd Dr Daniel Deng Bul, Archbishop and Primate
of the Sudan
Your Grace, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of
Canterbury
Your Graces, the Archbishops of our beloved Anglican Communion,
Your Lordships, the Bishops of the Anglican Communion and the clergy,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We greet you all in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
We, the Sudanese Bishops gathering at the Lambeth Conference, would
like, on behalf of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan (ECS) and the
whole Sudanese people, to acknowledge and appreciate your prayers and
support during the 21 years of war in Southern Sudan and in reaching
the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between the Government
of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/ Army (SPLM/A) on
9th January 2005. The CPA provides the basis for a just and
sustainable peace in the Sudan. We give thanks to God for the
agreement and express our support for all efforts to ensure its full
and timely implementation.
After 21 years of war, in which more than 2 million people lost their
lives and more than 4 million people have become refugees or
internally displaced, we are greatly encouraged at the new future
offered by the CPA. However, we remain deeply concerned that the
conflict in Darfur, in Western Sudan, continues unabated, and at the
localized conflict in several places which threatens stability and
the sustainability of peace. We therefore wish to share with you the
following concerns:
1. Situation in Darfur
Despite the Government of Sudan's official estimate of not more than
10,000 people killed in the fighting in Darfur, the UN has estimated
there to have been some 300,000 war-related deaths since the conflict
escalated in 2003. Whatever the exact figures, this continuing loss
of life is an affront to all people who value human life and to
religious faith in the God of mercy. The finding of a political
solution remains an urgent priority as well as the full deployment of
an effective UN/AU joint mission. Continuing international pressure
is needed on both the Government of Sudan and the now numerous armed
groups to bring an end to the violence, to hold its perpetrators
accountable, and to engage in constructive negotiations to address
the grievances of the region.
Although Darfur is a predominantly Muslim region, the Church is
playing a growing role in responding to the humanitarian needs and
providing education to displaced communities as part of its practical
witness to the Gospel. Substantial humanitarian assistance will
continue to be needed for whole communities displaced with no early
prospects of return.
We are concerned that the Darfur situation cannot be viewed in
isolation. Continuing conflict in Darfur would undermine the
prospects of peace in the South, while the going back on commitments
made to achieve peace in the South would remove any credibility from
the Government of Sudan in negotiations over Darfur. We therefore
call for a whole Sudan approach, within which implementation of the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement plays an essential part.
2. Implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)
For the opportunity for a just and sustainable peace to be realized,
full implementation of the CPA needs to be ensured. We recognize the
holding of the Referendum in 2011 on the future political status of
Southern Sudan as being of key significance in its implementation. We
affirm the right of every human being to decide his or her destiny
and accordingly we support the right of self-determination for the
people of Southern Sudan to decide their future, whether for unity or
separation. We have therefore committed ourselves to raise awareness
of the Referendum, as well as the whole CPA, to ensure that the
process is carried out with proper transparency
While progress has been made in several significant areas, including
the establishment of the Government of National Unity and of the
Government of Southern Sudan to look after the affairs of the South,
we remain concerned at the delays or refusal to implement other
elements, such as demarcation of the North-South border. This risks
undermining confidence between the parties or in the wider communities.
3. Destruction of Abyei
The destruction of the town of Abyei and displacement of the area's
population of over 90,000 people in May 2008 represents the most
serious violation of the CPA to date. As an oil-rich area on the
border between Northern and Southern Sudan, Abyei was accorded
special administrative status under its own Protocol within the CPA.
The Government of Sudan failed to honour these terms, declining to
accept the binding recommendations of the Abyei Boundaries Commission
and delaying in providing an administration for the area. Instead, a
build-up in troops of both parties to the CPA resulted in fighting
and the destruction of the town and displacement of its entire
population, for many people the third time they have been displaced
by their own government. They are now in urgent need of assistance
and of support for re-building Abyei and resettling there.
The non-implementation to date of the Abyei Protocol constitutes a
serious threat to the CPA. Vigilance will be needed from the
international community to ensure that the parties' commitments are honoured.
4. Position of the Church in Northern Sudan
Although the country's new Constitution under the CPA provides for
freedom of religion and the protection of non-Muslims in the national
capital, the church continues to face pressure and discrimination in
Northern Sudan. Leverage is needed for the repealing of
discriminatory laws, such as those which restrict access to land for
the building of churches. Constructive dialogue between Christians
and Muslims is needed at all levels.
We are further concerned at the church's vulnerability in the North
in any future political dispensation. We see the need for the unity
of the church whatever the political boundaries and for efforts to
consolidate the position of the church through capacity building and
developing church links both inside and outside Sudan. The early
church in Northern Sudan1 died through its isolation from the outside
world amid the growing influence of Islam. The church there is now
alive again and needs sustained support to safeguard its brighter future.
5. Atrocities of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and Ambororo
The Ugandan rebels known as the Lords' Resistance Army (LRA) are
adversely affecting the states of Western Equatoria, Central
Equatoria and Eastern Equatoria, with their forces stationed in the
borders of Sudan with Congo and Central African Republic. Despite
efforts to mediate between the Ugandan Government and the LRA,
attacks continue on villages, such as the attack on Nabanga in Ibba
Diocese on 5th June 2008 in which 500 people were internally
displaced and left dispossessed. The LRA presence, together with that
of armed Arab nomads known as the Ambororo, is causing fear and
instability in the region, disrupting cultivation and schooling.
Continued pressure is needed to bring the LRA talks to a successful
conclusion and to end these armed attacks.
6. Return of Refugees and Internally Displaced People
The return of refugees and those internally displaced is one of the
fruits of the CPA but presents major practical challenges. Lack of
support for repatriation is hindering their return, as is fear of
insecurity in their areas. The Church is assisting with the re-
integration of those returning, co-operating with local government to
welcome them on their arrival and helping to prepare communities for
the diverse cultures from which people are returning, whether from
Khartoum, East Africa or overseas. Much support will be needed, both
in terms of relief and development, to help communities to provide
clean water, security, health and education.
On all these issues which are key to the prospect of peace for Sudan,
we appeal to those attending the Lambeth Conference, and the whole
Anglican Communion, to continue to stand in solidarity with the
Sudanese church and people. We request support in political advocacy
to tackle the challenges before the country. We appeal for practical
support to help respond to the many needs faced. But above all we
request your continued prayers and fellowship to encourage and
support the church in its mission. We believe that God has called us
to preach the Good News in the Sudan, the land referred to in the
Bible as the land of Cush to reach the unreached so as to fulfil His
great commission in Matthew 28.16. Our people are hungry for
spiritual food and seek to grow to maturity so that they may
propagate the culture of love, peace and justice which we have lost
during the struggle. May God bless us all in this mission.
The Most Revd Dr Daniel Deng Bul
Archbishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan and Bishop of Juba
1 Christian kingdoms were present in Northern Sudan from 6th-15th centuries
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