On its way out, the Biden Administration declared January 7 that the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias had committed genocide in Sudan. Secretary of State Blinken imposed sanctions on RSF commander Mohammad Dagalo (Hemedti) for his role in systematic atrocities, particularly in West Darfur. The US also sanctioned seven RSF-owned companies in the United Arab Emirates.
Little more than a week later the US Government announced that the Sudan Armed Forces had used chemical weapons at least twice against the RSF in remote areas of the country. It expressed fears that could happen again in densely populated areas. It announced sanctions against Gen. Abdel Fatteh al-Burhan for documented atrocities by his troops, including indiscriminate bombing of civilians and use of starvation as a weapon of war. Al-Burhan replied in empty defiance, “We are ready to face any sanctions for the sake of serving this nation, and we welcome them.”
The State Department has termed the situation in Sudan “the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.”
It remains to be seen whether the Trump Administration will give attention to the catastrophe in Sudan. AFRECS and other organizations will do what we can to keep Washington’s focus on Sudan and to push for a real solution.
Twenty months after escaping from Khartoum to Port Sudan, where he borrowed an office and restored communications with his five dioceses, Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo, Primate of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, made a front-line pastoral visit to his devastated city at Christmas.
“One hundred seventy-three Christians were confirmed yesterday in one service in Omdurman”, Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo wrote to Dane Smith on Dec. 27th. “It was the Feast of St. Stephen the first Christian martyr, and it was a five-hour service! … Pastors, Mothers’ Union, and the entire Episcopal Church of Sudan community, including other denominations, came to welcome me and my team. They very much appreciate the little relief food that ECS send them from time to time. They told me, ‘Archbishop ,we thank God for the food you give us’. I told them that the support is from our good friends and partners abroad. Thank you.”
In his public Christmas greeting, Kondo said: “We celebrate the Baby Jesus who is the life of all people. My prayers are with you wherever you may be. This is the second year [the] majority of us celebrate Christmas as displaced and as refugees, because of the war situation which began 15 April 2023. People continue to live in a miserable circumstance. I repeat my appeal to the two warring parties, Sudanese Army and Rapid Support Forces and their supporters: Consider putting the guns beyond use and silence them for peace…. Continuing using guns, there will be no people left to rule over, nor will there be a country called Sudan to live in….. Enough is enough to death. Life is precious in the eyes of God. He has created man in His own image…. Let us abide in Him as long as we live.”
Some 260 South Sudanese in the Mid-Atlantic, including Baltimore, Charlottesville, and Richmond, came together shortly before Christmas at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Annandale, Virginia, in a meeting of the South Sudanese Community of the DMV (SSC-DMV). Youth sang Christmas carols in Juba Arabic, women’s culinary skills brought the flavors of home to life, and many reconnected after long separations. “We encourage everyone to continue participating in community gatherings,” said their President, Lina Ajack. “This fosters deeper connections and the values that make us strong.”
Among those attending were Edward Kenyi, Rita Lako, Angelina Onika, Noel Kulang, Lina Ajack (President, SSC-DMV, front row, 2nd from L), Amour Isaac, Dombek Yai, Achuil Nhial, Michael Lupai, Emmanuel Hakim, Ester Muding, Angelina Onika, Julius Kori, Sisco Soly, and Kwathi Ajawin.
Tom Prichard, director of Sudan Sunrise in Fairfax, Virginia received word in December from Archbishop Abraham Nhial, who is currently overseeing both his own diocese of Aweil and the Diocese of Wau. Having seen that girls did not have access to high school education in Aweil, Nhial is now breaking ground for St. Mary’s High School for girls, which will open in a few months, welcoming girls from different tribes and faiths, including many Darfuri girls who have fled the war in Sudan.
Sudanese players have been known to American fans of professional basketball since Manute Bol played for the Washington Bullets and other NBA teams. More recently fans saw Luol Ajou Deng retire from the Minnesota Timberwolves and coach a South Sudanese national team who almost upset the American team in a pre-Paris Olympics match. Now drawing the attention of National Basketball Association recruiters is the youngest player on that South Sudanese team, Khaman Maluach.
Born in 2006 in Rumbek, South Sudan, Maluach spent most of his childhood in a refugee camp in Kawempe, Uganda. A passing boda-boda driver, seeing how much taller Maluach was than his 13-year-old friends, encouraged him to start playing basketball. This began a journey which led him to Senegal, where the NBA has an academy in Saly, and an education.
At 7’ 2”, Maluach was the top center in the 2024 recruiting class, receiving offers from Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and UCLA. Committing to Duke, and receiving an estimated $1 million from name-image-likeness deals, he has been paired with the Blue Devils’ top recruit Cooper Flagg. Should Maluach be chosen in the upcoming NBA draft, he would be the first NBA player to come out of the NBA Academy Africa.
I recently watched the Duke-Notre Dame game, where Flagg recorded a Duke freshman record 42 points, while Maluach had 19 points and 10 rebounds. He recorded another double-double this season against Miami. I hope he’ll carry on the tradition of Sudanese and South Sudanese basketball players finding success abroad — and bringing some of their money and talent back home with them.
The civil war in Sudan is entering its 22nd month. Experts exploring paths toward lasting solutions on Friday, January 30 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time will include (L to R) Alex de Waal of Tufts University; Tom Staal, retired Counselor of the U.S. Agency for International Development; and Nisrin Elamin, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and African Studies at the University of Toronto. Also speaking will be Rogaia Mustafa Busharaf, Georgetown University in Qatar; Rebecca Glade, Makerere University; and Guy Josif, Human Rights student, Georgetown University. The Executive Director of AFRECS, Dane Smith, will introduce the panel.
Join us for a powerful digital workshop that delves into the ongoing crisis in Sudan and South Sudan, where devastating violence has claimed thousands of lives, displaced over 10 million people, and pushed millions more to the brink of starvation. As rival military factions battle for control, civilians bear the brunt of the conflict, facing unimaginable hardship and human rights abuses.
This timely conversation will feature Sudanese and American experts who will shed light on the roots of the conflict, the current humanitarian situation, and the path toward potential solutions. Panelists will explore how people of faith—including members of the Episcopal Church—and advocates of good will can take action to support peace, justice, and survival in the region.
In collaboration with the American Friends of the Episcopal Church in the Sudans (AFRECS), this webinar will also highlight the crucial work being done by Episcopal leaders in Sudan to offer hope amidst the crisis. Learn about AFRECS’s initiatives to amplify the church’s witness for peace and provide humanitarian aid to those in desperate need.
Why Attend?
This workshop provides a unique opportunity to hear directly from those on the frontlines of the conflict—faith leaders, humanitarian experts, and advocates working tirelessly to find pathways to peace.
Participants will:
Understand the complex dynamics driving violence in the Sudans
Hear first hand stories from Episcopal leaders in the region
Learn what advocacy, partnerships, and faith-based efforts can do to make a difference
Discover how you and your community can support the ongoing work of AFRECS and other initiatives
Now more than ever, action is needed to save lives and prevent further devastation. This conversation will equip you with the knowledge, tools, and resources to make a meaningful impact.
Register today and stand in solidarity with the people of Sudan and South Sudan. Together, we can support their journey toward peace, stability, and hope.
Panelists Include:
Niemat Ahmadi – Founder & President, Darfur Women’s Action Group; Washington, District of Columbia
Tom Staal – Former Counselor, USAID; Acting USAID Director, Sudan (Summer 2024); Board Member, AFRECS; Alexandria, Virginia
Anita Sanborn – President, AFRECS; Alexandria, Virginia
Tom Prichard – Executive Director, Sudan Sunrise; Fairfax, Virginia
Samuel Enosa Peni, the 5th Bishop of Yambio and Archbishop of the Internal Province of Western Equatoria, ECSS, travelled to Washington, DC in early October for a meeting of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Consultation on Unity and Mission. He plans to celebrate on April 11, 2025 the 100th anniversary of the diocese of Yambio, whose cathedral is the oldest church building in the Sudans. Peni recently led a three-day revival, along with an evangelist from a Pentecostal church, challenging witchdoctors and those who continue to trust in them.
Photo: Students and staff celebrate the launch of their newly constructed primary school in the Diocese of Wau, part of the Internal Province of Northern Bahr al-Ghazal, in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan.
Launched in February 2024 through the efforts of Gabriel Turich Dak, a former South Sudanese refugee educated in Kenya, the Kelly Hope Academy completed its first year November 8th. Beginning with 172 primary-level students, Dak recruited teachers among other returnees from Uganda. Speaking at the Grand Launch was Dr. Clive Kelly, a physician from the U.K. and primary benefactor of the school, which is also supported by Grace Episcopal Church in Lexington, Virginia. More at wau.anglican.org
While heads of state, including General al-Burhan of Sudan, were in New York in late September attending the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced nearly $424 million in additional humanitarian assistance for people in need in Sudan and in neighboring refugee-hosting countries.
The war in Sudan has become the largest humanitarian disaster in the world. More people need food aid and stand on the brink of starvation in Sudan than in all other disasters in today’s world combined. The Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWSNet) of USAID shows close to 25 million Sudanese in need of humanitarian assistance. A large proportion are classified in the two highest need categories: Famine and Emergency.
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimates that there have been 400,000 “excess deaths” per year due to the war in Sudan. Excess deaths are caused by direct war injuries, disease, and starvation. That means that there have likely been 600,000 deaths due to the war since the outbreak of hostilities in April 2023.
The warring parties show no interest in halting the fighting. They dishonor ceasefire commitments they made in 2023, and not even agreed to attend ceasefire talks this year. The two leaders — Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) leader Gen. al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Hemedti — have no real incentive to stop fighting. They would likely be either jailed or assassinated if and when the fighting ends. So the war continues, with serious human rights abuses being committed across most of the country, by both sides.
Sacks of sorghum flour await difficult delivery to hungry people Sudan.
Both warring parties actively and consistently disrupt and restrict humanitarian assistance to needy people. Active fighting in many locations has caused all international organizations to withdraw international staff from all but a few areas under the SAF control on the east side of the country. Where local staff remain, of both local and international organizations, they face harassment, bureaucratic restrictions, and physical abuse, including death.
When aid is delivered, it is often looted, or stolen by the warring parties. Some success has been achieved by providing financial transfers through Starlink to community-level groups, enabling them to purchase food or other supplies from the local market. Those supplies are very limited, and those groups are often harassed by the warring parties and their funds taxed or stolen.
