Update from Dane Smith
Lawlessness in South Sudan: An Archbishop Speaks Out
A senior South Sudanese official announced January 5 that the President has directed the security forces to put an end to “road ambushes, cattle raids and intercommunal clashes” in the country. The announcement came at the end of a meeting of the National Security Committee.
It followed by a few days accusations by Dr. Paul Benjamin Yugusuk, Archbishop of Central Equatoria, that elements of the South Sudan Peoples’ Defence Forces (formerly the SPLA) were robbing Christians in Lainya County. He cited an incident in which soldiers forced a group of Christians to drink alcohol and then set fire to the hut they were in. He added that such problems were happening all over South Sudan because soldiers are not being trained or paid. He said there were some soldiers living in harmony with civilians but others guilty of atrocities. (Radio Tamazuj)
US Diplomacy with Khartoum as Trump Administration Winds Down
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin visited Khartoum January 6, when Sudan signed the “Abraham Accords” with the US promising to normalize relations with Israel. Perhaps more important to Khartoum was the signature as well of a Memorandum of Understanding making available a bridge loan of $1 billion to clear Sudanese debt with the World Bank and enabling Sudan to access perhaps $1. billion in Bank assistance. Mnuchin met with Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Sovereignty Council President Abdel Fatteh al-Burhan before jetting off to Israel.
Agenda for the Episcopal Church of Sudan
Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo, Primate of the Episcopal Province of Sudan, has shared with me the results of the December meeting of Bishops I mentioned in our last issue. The bishops rejoiced in the change of regime in Khartoum, the lifting of sanctions against Sudan, the removal of Sudan from the US terrorist list, the agreement reached with rebel groups, and the possibility of normalized relations with Israel. The Episcopal church has been distributing food in Kassala, Wad Medani and Khartoum. The Province will focus on training pastors and the Mothers’ Union, while suspending for the present the ordination of new pastors. It will develop a modernized Arabic version of the Book of Common Prayer. It will do a census of Episcopalians and church properties.
Executive Director
Sudan in talks with Egypt & Ethiopia on Renaissance dam
Representatives of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan met virtually January 3 under the chairmanship of South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor to discuss the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile River. Little progress was achieved, but further meetings are scheduled this month. The Egyptian Government is pressing for agreement before Ethiopia begins the second phase of filling the dam reservoir. The basic conflict is between Ethiopia and Egypt, but the Sudanese Government wants to be sure its interests are covered in this difficult dispute.
Message to AFRECS from John C. Danforth, Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.
AFRECS recently received a note of support from John C. Danforth, retired Senator from Missouri, Ambassador to the United Nations, and former Special Envoy for Peace in Sudan.
“We Christians have been commissioned to a ministry of reconciliation. In no place is our ministry more important today than in the Sudans. The Episcopal Church has a responsibility to hold together all the people of God.”
-John C. Danforth, Special Envoy for Peace to Sudan, 2001-2005
We are grateful for Senator Danforth’s past diplomatic labor and his ongoing commitment to the peacemaking work of the church in the Sudans.
10th Anniversary of S. Sudan’s Independence Referendum
by Lawrence R. Duffee, AFRECS Board Member
No one knew how the Referendum would go when voting began on January 9, 2011, leading to independence for South Sudan on July 9 of that year.
Would the vote happen at all? Incidents of insecurity might be all the excuse dictator Omar al-Bashir needed to postpone the vote. Or logistical challenges of distributing millions of ballots in a country without roads or verifying voting eligibility for people without birth certificates and IDs. The Sudanese had seen terrible violence in Kenya following an election there in 2007, and after voting in Sudan in April 2010 some small violence occurred. I was serving with the Episcopal Church of Sudan (pre-ECSS!) at the Provincial office in Juba. So many unknowns, and yet Referendum Day arrived – a Sunday.
Citizens waiting in line to vote in the Referendum.
At All Saints Cathedral prayers were offered for peaceful voting and for an outcome, regardless of what it was, accepted by all. In the afternoon we visited an elementary school in downtown Juba to observe His Grace, Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul, vote. Joining him would be Archbishop Paulino, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Sudan. Having both Archbishops vote together was thought an important symbol for all to feel safe in voting.
Long queues of men and women – the sexes voted separately – waited patiently. From the length of the lines it was clear some people had waited hours to vote. The Archbishops were whisked directly inside, and once their IDs had been checked each was allowed to vote. Voting was accomplished by using an ink-stained finger to choose the box showing two hands clasped (remain united) or one hand waving (separation.)
After the vote both Archbishops visited outside with other religious leaders. Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Roslyn visited the school as part of the Carter Center’s efforts to monitor the vote. I was privileged to shake Mr. Carter’s hand, a thrill I will always remember.
Juba was flooded with international journalists. My sense was that many wanted to document the carnage they expected to happen. But the voting continued with hardly a hitch for nearly a week, enough time for everyone to reach the polling places. By mid-week most of the journalists were gone, having missed the greatest story of all — a wide-spread, peaceful vote in one of the least developed places on earth.
A week later, with Rev. Canon Ian Woodward of Salisbury who was visiting Juba, I watched some of the votes being counted. In the end some 99 percent of those eligible had voted, and 98 percent of these voted for separation. The Referendum was a victory for the diplomacy that allowed the vote to happen, and a display of confidence and determination by the people of the South to chart their own way.
Additional memories: Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Report from the Episcopal University of South Sudan
The rollout of the new Rokon campus has been slowed by the illness of University developer Dr. Joseph Zebedayo Bilal, reports Dr. Eeva John of Sudan University Partners. Joseph has been flown to the UK for treatment of serious malaria and complications. He is recovering well and expects to return to Juba in March or earlier. Supporters in the UK are organizing for Joseph a supply of anti-malarial drugs, which are exorbitantly expensive in Juba. High on his agenda on his return will be to arrange a site visit for EMI, the Uganda-based Christian engineering organization that is planning the new campus.
Future site of the new campus in Rokon of the Episcopal University of South Sudan
(Facebook bit.ly/2shwHkI)
Government licensing of the new university is proving to be a slow process. The GOSS is now requiring that faculty credentials be certified by the government concerned. Thus Dr. Bilal, whose degree is from Britain, is seeking a certificate of authentication from the UK government. Eeva John and her daughter are also seeking authentication in order to be part-time faculty at EUSS.
“Please pray for Joseph’s continued recovery and for all obstacles to be removed so that the University and its new campus may have a glorious beginning,” said the Rev. Rick Houghton, AFRECS Board member.
ECSS and ECS have Good Friends in the United Kingdom
by Richard Jones, AFRECS Board Member
Church Association for Sudan and South Sudan (CASS) is the new name for what was formerly the Sudan Church Association, with the Archbishop of Sudan as patron, three Church of England bishops (including Salisbury and Bradford) as Vice-Presidents, the Venerable Michael Paget-Wilkes as longtime chairman and Canon Ian Woodward as a committee member.
Current Co-Chairs are the Revd Ian Wallace of Bristol UK and the Revd Pauline Walker. Their new website is http://www.cass.org.uk. CASS continues to publish twice year a handsome magazine with the long-familiar title SUDAN CHURCH REVIEW. The autumn 2020 issue has a number of informative articles, including one on the Episcopal University of South Sudan’s new location at Rokon.
To become a member of CASS and receive publications or e-mail, contact the membership secretary andrew.m.persson@gmail.com mailto:andrew.m.persson@gmail.
Other News from Various Sources
Voice of America, January 7, 2021
Signature of the Abrahamic Accords Enables Sudan to Clear World Bank Arrears
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was in Khartoum Wednesday, Jan 6, where he and Sudanese Justice Minister Nasereldin Abdulbari signed the Abrahamic Accords to normalize relations with Israel and a Memorandum of Understanding under which the US will provide a $1 billion bridge loan to clear Sudanese debt to the World Bank and enable Bank lending of $1.6 bill.
The VOA reported the event as follows January 7:
KHARTOUM – Sudan has officially signed the Abraham Accords, agreeing to normalize relations with Israel. The deal paves the way for Sudan to relieve its massive debt to the World Bank.
The historic signing took place at the U.S embassy in Khartoum Wednesday. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin signed on behalf of Washington, while Sudanese Minister of Justice Nasereldin Abdelbari signed on behalf of Khartoum.
Speaking to reporters after the signing, Abdelbari said Khartoum welcomes the rapprochement and the diplomatic ties between Sudan and Israel that Sudan will boost for its own benefit and for other countries in the region. He said Khartoum appreciates Mnuchin’s historical visit and hopes to strengthen ties between Sudan and the U.S.
In his brief statement, Mnuchin said it was “a great honor to be here with you today, and I think this will have a tremendous impact on the people of Israel and the people of Sudan as they continue to work together on cultural and economic opportunities.”
The Abraham Accords are a series of U.S.-brokered agreements calling for the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and now, Sudan, to normalize relations with Israel after decades of broken ties.
Sudan agreed to sign the accords in part so the United States would remove the country from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation that has blocked Sudan’s access to international loans. In late December, the U.S. removed Sudan from the list.
https://www.voanews.com/
Associated Press, January 2021
Rare conviction of South Sudan soldiers for rape raises hope
By Sam Mednick
First, the soldiers stole their belongings. Then they took their food. On their third and final visit, the woman said, the soldiers raped her and her daughter-in-law until they were unable to walk.
What sets these assaults in South Sudan apart from many other rapes by soldiers is this: The women brought the men to court and won. The 48-year-old mother of four reported the rape in May to South Sudan’s army chief when he visited her village of Adio .A new army chief of staff, responding to growing frustration with such crimes, sent military judges from Juba to oversee the case and those of 10 other women and girls who also came forward. In the end, 26 soldiers were convicted, some for rape but others for offenses including looting. It was the first time soldiers had been convicted of rape since the 2016 rampage at the Terrain Hotel, where five international aid workers were gang-raped and a local journalist was killed.
The September conviction has raised hopes that such crimes will increasingly be prosecuted.
https://apnews.com/article/
From Anadolu Agency, January 14, 2021
by Benjamin Takpiny
South Sudan’s flood victims hit by food, water shortage
Juba, South Sudan
People who fled devastating floods in South Sudan’s Jonglei state to Mangalla in Central Equatoria state said they are now facing a new challenge — a severe lack of food and water. Waterborne diseases are also creating a nightmare among the group of about 96,000 people, Atem Akuoch, one of its leaders, told Anadolu Agency.
While some of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) are forced to trek long distances in search of clean water, others have resorted to drinking contaminated water from the River Nile, leading to disease outbreaks among them, he said.
The IDPs, mostly from Jonglei, fled floods in their area last year. Countrywide, the floods have affected over one million people. Most homes from the town of Bor to Twic East have been submerged in a devastating flood, displacing 200,000 people. The water level in Jonglei state has risen 1.5 meters (4.9 feet). Aid agencies believe the floods will aggravate food crises in the region.
“Their being in Mangalla is not their fault,” said David Garang Goch, chairperson of the Jonglei Civil Society. “They have been displaced by floods which are a national natural disaster. Let the government of South Sudan and humanitarian agencies come in and ensure access to food, drinking water, and medical services. They are really suffering.”
Goch said access to health facilities is also a problem for the group. “It’s a terrible situation without food, water and medical services. Those people are in dire need of humanitarian services,” he said.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/
Cattle herder in South Sudan
Voice of America, January 6, 2021
South Sudan Religious Leaders Hold Talks Aimed at Ending Intercommunal Fighting
by Daniel F. Martin
With an eye toward ending intercommunal violence that killed dozens of people last month in Central Equatoria state, South Sudanese religious leaders and civil society activists have organized direct peace and reconciliation talks between various communities.
Some meetings already have taken place in rural villages of Terekeka County and included chiefs, women, youth, farmers, and cattle camp leaders. Cattle raids are a chronic problem in parts of South Sudan, separate from the civil war that killed tens of thousands between 2013 and 2017.
Paul Yugugusuk, archbishop of the Central Equatoria province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, blames the increased violence in certain areas, particularly in Terekeka and Lainya counties, on a lack of clear laws on the movement of cattle and justice for victims of cattle raids
“We cannot do our work when people are fighting” he said. “Now that there is an ongoing peace dialogue in Rome, although it’s going slowly, we call on the conflicting communities, armed and non-armed actors, the opposition and the government, to join hands for the revitalized peace agreement so that the implementation becomes easy.”
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT!
We continue to be grateful that contributions from you, our supporters, continue to nurture AFRECS in expanding our impact. You make a difference in the essential peacebuilding work of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan. We hope you will consider another generous gift — or whatever you can afford in this time of COVID — as we begin our new program year You can contribute online at https://afrecs.org or send a check made out to AFRECS to P.O. Box 3327, Alexandria, VA 22302
Please Note: AFRECS’ former address c/o Virginia Theological Seminary is no longer valid.
This issue of the AFRECS E-Blast was compiled by Board members Frederick L. Houghton and Caroline Klam.