AFRECS E-Blast: November 4, 2021

Update from Dane Smith 

The military coup undertaken by Sudanese Sovereignty Council Chair Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan October 25 has encountered enormous resistance from the Sudanese population and the international community. Protests broke out immediately in Khartoum and its sister city Omdurman and in other Sudanese cities. They were met forcibly.  At least 11 protesters were killed initially by live fire from the security forces.  There have been extensive arrests of civil society leaders.  The US and other Western nations have denounced the coup, as have the United Nations and the African Union.  The UN Security Council has demanded the reinstatement of the transitional government.  The African Union has suspended Sudan from normal activities.  The US has halted a $700 million aid package.  With advance notice, massive protests took place on Saturday, October 30, involving hundreds of thousands, with reports of three more protesters shot to death. We have not yet seen any signs of a reconsideration by Gen. al-Burhan. These protests are likely to continue as the forces which led to the overthrow of Bashir remain mobilized and now have considerable experience in non-violent resistance. The lengths that the military are prepared to go to remain in power are uncertain.

AFRECS is concerned about the impact of the military coup on Christians in Sudan. Although they are a small minority of the overall population (5.4%, according to the Pew Research Center), there are  significant numbers of Sudanese Copts, Catholics and Episcopalians. Most Sudanese Episcopalians are originally from the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan, but are now widely spread through the southwest and east of the country in five dioceses: Khartoum, Wad Medani, Port Sudan, El Obeid, and Kadugli/Nuba Mountains. Sudanese Christians were elated at the overthrow of longtime President Bashir in 2019. The Transitional Government separated religion from the state, launching an era of religious freedom.  Although Gen. al-Burhan is not reputed to be an Islamist, he is currently getting support from elements that backed the previous regime. So Christians rightly fear that their new freedom could be reversed.

The South Sudanese Government reacted cautiously to the coup, calling on all parties to “return to dialogue” and asserting that it “remained steadfast in supporting the aspirations of the Sudanese peoples.” It noted that “stability in Sudan has a direct bearing on our common goal of building greater stability in the region.” Tension between Khartoum and Juba had eased under the Transitional Government. Prime Minister Hamdok, now under house arrest in Khartoum, paid a well-received visit to Juba in August.

Executive Director

A Bad Day in Ibba

Excerpts from the Message from Bishop Wilson Kamani,Diocese of Ibba,to Buck Blanchard

Greetings to you from Ibba! Thank God I am able to write to you because 1st October (2021) was a bad day in Ibba. Ministry launched deworming program in Ibba schools but the program turned dangerous for the students. Pupils at Ibba Boarding School, St Peters, Hope Primary School, Nabanga, our Secondary School, were given overdoses and they were badly affected.

At 7:00 pm, October 1, I gave a lift to the students from our Health Center to Boarding School.   On my way back I fell into an ambush in which three bullets were triggered at me but I survived. Civilians in Ibba are so disappointed with the government. Schools are not functioning but we are having series of meeting with parents and teachers to explore the possibility of reopening the schools.

I have a huge assignment before me to bring people together. As a diocese, I have scheduled  a community meeting to take place on 5th January 2022 targeting 22 chiefs, representatives of youth and women in every boma [administrative division], head of organized forces, all pastors, County Commissioner, administrative officers and some local organizations to answer the question” how do we work together in Ibba for the betterment of Ibba?” This meeting will have a huge impact in the community, if it’s done. $3500 will enable this meeting to be done. ……. your prayers are very important. I have not forgotten the request from AFRECS. 

God bless you.
+ Wilson

Ezo Diocese Welcomes New Bishop (and a Working Well)
by Leslie Siegmund

The Rt. Rev. Isaac Ephraim Bangisa was enthroned as the new bishop of Ezo on October 10, 2021, in a ceremony attended by more than 2,000 parishioners, government officials, and clergy. Just three weeks earlier, Bishop Isaac had been among the four new bishops consecrated in Juba by the Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, the Most Rev. Dr. Justin Badi Arama.

On this side of the Atlantic Ocean, parishioners of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Great Falls, Virginia, celebrated the new bishop’s enthronement. St. Francis has had a covenant with the Diocese of Ezo since 1998. This relationship has involved visits between Virginia and Ezo, as well as fundraising and, most importantly, ongoing prayers on both sides.

The Ezo Diocese, with about 18,000 parishioners, lies in a relatively isolated spot in western South Sudan, adjoining both the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. The closest city is Yambio, about 100 miles away, which is connected by an unpaved road. Travel and communication are both difficult.

Wasting no time and taking advantage of the presence of many key people, Bishop Isaac held a two-day strategic planning meeting immediately following his enthronement in Ezo. The result was a five-year plan for the Ezo Diocese, outlining goals, challenges, costs, and planned activities. The new plan will serve as a roadmap for Ezo as it works to fulfill its vision:  “. . . to see the church and the community united and transformed spiritually, economically, socially, politically and environmentally protected.”

There was one physical improvement that could be celebrated immediately: the repair of a well on the Ezo Diocesan compound. The compound had been without fresh water for several years, and St. Francis had been working to raise money to fix or replace the two wells. Although funds were raised in 2020, the pandemic delayed the repairs, and it was difficult to find a drilling company willing to make the trek to Ezo. But in September of this year, a drilling company was identified, funds were transferred, and one of the wells was repaired, much to the delight of Ezo parishioners and staff. Plans are now being made to replace the second well.

St. Francis rejoices with the people of Ezo and their new bishop as they embark on their strategic plan. And St. Francis welcomes interest from other U.S. churches regarding ways to support the people of Ezo.

For more photos and details about Bishop Isaac’s enthronement in the Ezo Diocese, visit the St. Francis webpage at https://stfrancisgreatfalls.org/2021/10/21/enthronement-of-bishop-isaac-ephraim-in-ezo/. To find out more about St. Francis and Ezo, contact Leslie Siegmund at lesiegmund@aol.com.

Focus Area: The Diaspora
A Snapshot from Roanoke, VA

Ayen’s* husband abandoned her and her five children several years ago. Barely literate, she works at a popular restaurant chain in Roanoke five days a week. She brings home about $12,000 a year to feed, clothe, and house herself and her children, whose ages range from 8 to 18. They live in public housing in southeast Roanoke. The youngest child recently got into the gifted program at Highland Park Elementary School. The oldest child just graduated from the Boys Home of Virginia (a residential educational program for boys ages 6 to 17 and a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia) and will attend college next year on a full scholarship.

In Ayen’s free time, when she isn’t working ten-hour shifts, cleaning, cooking, or raising her children, she tries to muster the energy to study for her American citizenship.   Ayen is just one of many South Sudanese refugees eking by in Roanoke. She manages, in part, thanks to the Rev. Sue Bentley, rector of St. James Episcopal Church in Roanoke. The Rev. Bentley arranged for Ayen’s oldest son to attend the Boys Home, found someone to donate a van to the family for $1, and has gone to court on their behalf.  Ayen affectionally calls Rev. Bentley, “Mother Sue”. Since 2009, Sudanese and South Sudanese like Ayen have worshipped at St. James where the South Sudanese Christian Fellowship meets on Sundays at 5:30 p.m. in the parish hall.

Church has always been a place where Ayen found peace, even in the midst of war, displacement, and relocation. In South Sudan, “we have a lot of church,” Ayen says. According to Pew Research Center’s “The Future of World Religions,” 60.5% of the population in South Sudan in 2020 were Christian. In South Sudan, church provided Ayen a respite from the constant news of war.  “Every day you have to hear about war,” she says. Day-long church services with hymns that “calm you, make you happy,” she says, gave her a break from that. “The time goes by without you knowing what time it is,” she adds.

Members of the Sudanese congregation at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Roanoke, Virginia surround the Rector, Sue Bentley.

The refugees who meet at St. James have fled decades of violence. The Second Sudanese Civil War, from 1983 to 2005, left about two million dead from famine, fighting, and disease and about four million people displaced, according to the U.S. Committee for Refugees. South Sudan, formed six years after the war, still faces government corruption, violence, starvation, and a decimated economy. Ayen shares, “A lot of Sudanese communities are struggling, they don’t have houses, they don’t have any place to stay. My country is not doing good. It’s not. It’s going backwards.” According to an April 2021 United Nations report 7.2 million South Sudanese require emergency food assistance.

*Ayen’s name has been changed to protect her privacy.

This article, written by Christine Morlock for the newsletter of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Roanoke, Virginia has been edited for this E–blast.

Kual Aguer Receives Limited Medical Attention Condition Worsens

The daughter of the former governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Kual Aguer, is appealing to President Salva Kiir to grant her father urgent release to seek medical attention.  Adhel says her father is allowed to seek medical attention outside the prison, but not outside the country, where the family would like to seek better medical attention. Aguer, (shown in bed in the above photo) has been admitted at Promise hospital under the surveillance of the security guarding him in detention.

She told Eye Radio that her father’s health situation has worsened.

“This appeal is based on humanitarian grounds. With any grantee that whatever he [Kiir] wants from us, let him allow our father to get his treatment and after that, he can proceed with his process,” Adhel told Eye Radio on Tuesday.

According to the code of criminal procedure 2008, a person arrested by the police as part of an investigation may be held in detention, for a period not exceeding 24 hours for investigation.

Kuel Aguer was arrested in early August 2021 by the national security for allegedly signing a petition of the People’s Collation for Civil Action a group that called for a nationwide protest and resignation of President Salva Kiir and his cabinet.

“We praise God that Kuel Aguer Kuel, former governor of Northern Bahr al-Ghazal State, held since August without charges, has been moved from prison to a hospital under security. We continue to pray for his release to seek better medical care. God is good!”
Tuesday, October 5, 2021
Eye Radio

We give thanks for your continued support in prayer and generosity

We are deeply that 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, so needed in these challenging times. We hope you will consider taking a moment to consider a gift for our work with the people of the Sudans and to offer a prayer for their nations. You can contribute online at https://afrecs.org or send a check made out to AFRECS to P.O. Box 3327, Alexandria, VA 22302

Back Issues of this E–Blast remain accessible at www.afrecs.org/News under the heading “E–Blast”. Specific names, words, and phrases may be located using the “Search” field.This issue of the AFRECS E–Blast was compiled by Board member Anita Sanborn.

AFRECS Editors encourage readers to submit their news for publication; Please submit your news to Caroline Klam at klamcd621@gmail.com.