AFRECS E-Blast: December 16, 2021

Update from Dane Smith 

AFRECS has written to Senate Africa Subcommittee Chair Senator Chris Van Hollen and House Africa Subcommittee Chair Karen Bass urging hearings on South Sudan.  The letter recognizes massive US humanitarian aid, amounting to $811 million thus far in FY2021 and FY2022, but points to an apparent lack of policy focus.  The people of South Sudan are suffering from dysfunctional and corrupt government, which has failed to stop widespread communal violence or to respond to the plight of its citizens.  The letter calls for nomination of an ambassador to Juba and appointment of a new special envoy to cover South Sudan and Sudan.

In spite of the lack of progress on the political front in South Sudan, the Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS) continues to deploy Stephen Mou, National Coordinator for Justice, Peace and Reconciliation (JPR), to carry out important workshops on peace, reconciliation and trauma healing in Northern Bahr al-Ghazal, Upper Nile, and Jonglei.  In September the JPR Commission office in Juba was closed for lack of funds, but the dedicated and highly competent Coordinator continues his work under the auspices of Archbishop of Northern Bahr al-Ghazal Moses Deng Bol.  Mou was responsible for training the trainers who lead the Five Talents-AFRECS trauma healing work in Renk and Terekeka. Details of Mou’s current work are featured below.

Meanwhile, uncertainty reigns in Sudan about the future of the transition.  Although, following massive protests throughout Sudan, Transitional Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was reinstated November 21, after being ousted and detained October 25, protests have continued by large crowds refusing to accept Hamdok’s leadership.  The crowds have been shouting, “no negotiations, no legitimacy, no participation.”  They are insisting on the complete removal of the military from power.  Hamdok has asked the security forces to refrain from violence against protesters and called for the release of remaining detainees.  Assistance from Western donors and the international financial institutions remains in abeyance, pending clarification of the political situation.

Executive Director

Why Haven’t You Left?

Why I Was Drawn to AFRECS
by Frederick E. “(“Fritz”) Gilbert

I served in Khartoum during 1986-90 in the U.S.A.I.D. Mission as Deputy Mission Director and then Mission Director beginning in 1988. As Deputy my main responsibility was to oversee management of U.S. humanitarian assistance. Much of that was provided to areas of the north that were afflicted by drought, flooding, and even locust attacks. In the South the main need was to address food security problems caused by disruption of food production and distribution caused by the civil war between the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Sudanese Army. The needs were huge, but USAID’s efforts to address them were shared with several UN agencies, the European Union, and a number of bilateral donors.

During this time my wife and I, together with Dane and Judy Smith, were members of the English-speaking congregation of All Saints Episcopal Cathedral in Khartoum. The services were usually led by the Reverend Sylvester Thomas Kambaya. We became admirers of him and wanted to arrange for him to study at Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS).  When we discussed this with the Rector of our Northern Virginia parish, he introduced us to Rev. Dr. Rich Jones, then Professor of Mission and World Religions at VTS. Rich arranged for Father Sylvester to spend a year at VTS.

Rich and I became friends, and it soon became apparent that he had a strong interest in the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) and in finding ways to support its work and strengthen it as an institution.

In the early 2000s, well after I had retired from the USAID Foreign Service, Rich told me about his desire to start an organization comprised of supporters of the ECS and asked for my participation.  I agreed because the ECS seemed to me to be an unfolding miracle. The number of baptized members was growing rapidly in what seemed to me to be an amazing way. The ECS had a lot of dedicated and inspiring, but often undertrained, clergy. Nevertheless, most of the clergy and many of the lay members seemed to this cowboy to be exceptionally committed to living into their present and potential roles as members of the Body of Christ.

It seems to me that the ECS and other denominations have the potential to serve as the country’s most important civil society institutions. As I see it, we friends of the Episcopal Church of the Sudans should thankfully embrace our opportunities to support the institutional development that will enhance the realization of this aim.

Trauma Healing and Peacebuilding Training Held in Wau and Aweil
by Stephen M. Mou

Report from the Coordinator
Episcopal Church of South Sudan Justice, Peace & Reconciliation Commission (ECSS/JPRC)
November 2021

The JPRC national office in the ECSS Provincial Office building in Juba was closed in September 2021 because of the lack of funding to pay staff salaries. Rev. Stephen was redeployed to Wau at the end of September 2021, where he now reports to Archbishop Moses Deng Bol, Archbishop of ECSS Northern Bahr el Ghazal Internal Province and where he will be coordinating and carrying out peacebuilding and trauma-healing activities in Northern Bahr el Ghazal), Upper Nile, and Jonglei Internal Provinces.

Workshop in Wau, Northern Bahr el Ghazal Internal Province (NBeG IP)

On 5^th and 6^th November 2021 ECSS/JPRC facilitated a Peace Building and Trauma Healing workshop in Wau. The workshop was attended by 24 participants, including five bishops from NBeG IP, 5 bishops from Eastern Bahr el Ghazal (EBeG) IP, seven women, three youth and four priests. Rev. Stephen was assisted and supported by SMARD (Solidarity Ministries Africa for Reconciliation & Development), a national faith-based peace and development non-governmental organization, and by local churches.

The bishops from EBeG IP appreciated the facilitation skills and the content of the tools used during the workshop and requested ECSS/JPRC to extend the training to EBeG IP. They also requested more manuals and handouts to enable them to read more.

The participants wanted the training to be increased from two days to seven days, with a certificate provided at the end of the week-long training.

The participants asked ECSS/JPRC to take the training to each of the dioceses in NBeG IP and EBeG IP, to help community members understand the importance and benefits of peacefulness and good community relations.

Workshop in Aweil, Northern Bahr el Ghazal Internal Province (NBeG IP)

In collaboration with the Dinka Rek Language Committee and supported by local churches, ECSS/JPRC facilitated a Trauma Healing Workshop in Aweil, the state capital of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State on 12^th and 13^th November 2021 for the heads of twenty-seven different Christian denominations. During the workshop, the participants requested the same workshop to be facilitated on 18^th December 2021 in Aweil for more than 135 participants. The heads of the churches said that each denomination would select five participants, including the head of the denomination and would raise funds for their food and accommodation in Aweil. Transport for participants would be provided by the local churches. The heads of denominations requested the facilitators to raise their own funds for their transport, accommodation and feeding.

[Editor’s note on “Dinka Rek”.] There are three major dialects within the Dinka community, Dinka Cham, Dinka Padang and Dinka Rek. Each has developed its own hymns and books and translated the Bible. The Dinka Rek Language Committee was established to lead on the translation of the Bible, collect Christian songs, and write stories for books in the Dinka Rek dialect. Rev. Stephen advises on Dinka Rek language development as well as teaching about the impact of trauma in the community.]

Challenges

• ECSS/JPRC lacks funds to print handouts, certificates and buy enough training materials for workshop participants.
• ECSS/JPRC still lacks salaries for staff.

Mitigation Measures

• ECSS/JPRC Coordinator will continue to lobby for funding to cover activity costs and staff salaries.
• NBeG IP will help JPRC to reach out to donors to support peace building and trauma healing through JPRC.

Outline of Proposed Activities into 2022 (funding permitting)

• 18^th-21^st December 2021. ECSS/JPRC will facilitate a Peace Building and Trauma Healing workshop in Aweil and the workshop will be supported by the local Inter-Church Committee.
• 10^th-14^th January 2022. ECSS/JPRC plans to facilitate a 4-day Trauma Healing workshop in Malakal, Upper Nile State. ECSS Upper Nile Internal Province will raise funds for the workshop.
• 24^th-28^th January 2022. ECSS/JPRC plans to facilitate a Peace and Trauma Healing workshop in Abyei.
• 7^th-11^th February 2022. ECSS/JPRC plans to facilitate a Peace and Trauma Healing workshop in Wau.

American reporters and camera teams from the Washington Post and Cable News Network have recently been documenting the suffering and displacement in the Sudd, a wetland the size of England in  the center of the Sudans extending from Mongalla in Central Equatoria to Malakal in Upper Nile, and in Bentiu.  For details and compelling photography, see these links:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2021/south-sudan-flooding/

https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2021/12/06/flooding-in-sudan-clarissa-ward-pkg-tsr-vpx.cnn

Please continue to pray for the homeless, the sick and hungry, and those laboring to render material aid.

Young displaced people return to a camp from Bentiu.

1.  Call upon the people of South Sudan to value the sanctity of life and promote peaceful co-existence among communities;
2. Appreciate the Parties of the Revitalised Agreement for the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) for the progress made, but still urge them to expedite the implementation of the remaining parts, especially Security Arrangements;
3. Humbly request the guarantors to the R-ARCSS and friends of South Sudan to extend any practical support needed to enable the government to accelerate the process of the graduation of unified forces in the training centres;
4. Strongly urge all the Parties to the R-ARCSS to resume Rome Peace Initiative;
5. Strongly urge oil companies to protect the environment from oil pollution and compensate those affected by oil pollution in oil-producing areas;
6. Resolved that first Sunday of July yearly should be a tree planting day as a means of preserving the Environment;
7. Request humanitarian agencies to continue supporting flood-affected people all over the country;
8. Resolve to uphold biblical teachings and declare a decade of discipleship and missions in ECSS to nurture and strengthen Christian communities in the faith;
9. Request the government of the Republic of South Sudan to enact a law for relocation of cattle from greater Equatoria region to their places of origin; and
10. We believe that despite the challenges being faced by the Church in South Sudan and around the globe, the Episcopal Church of South Sudan remains one of the vibrant tools for peace building, and trauma healing in the Country.