Category: News

Bishop Ismail Abudgin, alongside local government officials, distributes food to hungry people in El Obeid.  He reports this work to his Archbishop, 641 miles away to the northeast in Port Sudan, as an opportunity for better relations between Christians and Muslims.

“Dear Archbishop Ezekiel:

Here is the brief narrative report concerning the diocesan role at the displaced camps. The support that the Province of Sudan receives make great impact on the suffering people in Sudan, particularly in the affected areas like Darfur, El Obeid, Dillng and Kadugli, and Khartoum. We have heard very good stories from the displaced people, when we provide blankets, cooked food, plastic sheets, and clothes. We do also provide sweets for children at least to make them happy.  The stories we hear is that most of them did not believe the church can come to help the Muslim people, but those who know the church they were even telling their brothers that the Christians are faithful than their people.

The good thing also is the participation of the office of religious affairs leaders with us during distribution and also, they are happy of what the episcopal church is doing.

Finally, your grace, I do believe that the E.C.S doing is breaking the barrier between Muslims and Christians, to live together in peace and harmony. In fact, I received not less than 5 calls from people every day to come and help, which was not normal. 

We hope that the good Lord will provide us with extra financial resources to be able to assist all displaced as we give regardless of religion, or tribe.

May God bless those who are giving.”

The Rt. Revd. Ismail Abudgin

Diocesan Bishop of El Obeid and Dean of the Province

A report from Port Sudan dated August 16 from Hindi Luka, Provincial Accountant for the Episcopal Church of Sudan, gives a current total of seventy-five congregations, spread from the Red Sea to Kadugli in the Nuba Mountains:

• Khartoum Diocese: 31 churches

• Kadugli Diocese: 6 churches (Kadugli town, surrounding areas, and Dilling town)

• El Obeid Diocese: 8 churches

• Port Sudan Diocese: 12 churches

• Wad Madani Diocese: 18 churches

The Rt. Rev. Dr. James Lule Kenyi, bishop of Kajo-Keji Diocese in South Sudan since 2023, will be online 12:45 – 1:45 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time in the U.S.) on September 16 for a conversation with Virginia Theological Seminary’s Center for Anglican Studies. He is expected to speak about his current work to help resolve a border conflict between Uganda and South Sudan that has displaced thousands of people. Friends may register in advance online or telephone CACS at (703)-461-1735.

Border clashes between the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) and the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) in the Kajo-Keji area have had devastating consequences for both the Diocese of Liwolo and the Diocese of Kajo-Keji. Conflict between the SSPDF and Opposition armed groups has included ambushes, looting, and burning of vehicles along the road linking Western Equatoria and Juba, as well as targeted killings of key officials, including Church personnel.

In Sudan The siege of El Fasher, largest city in Darfur, which RSF forces have surrounded, has cut off supplies and food. There are fears that a breakthrough could lead to another massacre of civilians, like that at the Zamzam IDP camp in April.  Compounding problems in Darfur was the landslide following heavy rains at Jebel Marra, highest point in Darfur and headquarters of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement.  The earthquake led to mudslides estimated to have killed up to 1,000.  There is no news of any international effort to bring this cataclysmic conflict to an end.

In South Sudan drones, attributed to the RSF, struck the airport at Heglig, at the center of oil processing and transport in Unity State August 26 and 30.  Oil company heads have warned the Juba Government that there will be a shutdown if attacks continue.  Floods have displaced 30,000 in Mayendit, Unity State, and 25,000 in Jonglei State and Pibor. Flooding may match or exceed 2024. African Intelligence this week details South Sudan’s clandestine and dangerous facilitation of UAE weapons transfers to the RSF effort in Sudan.

In response to an erroneous statement in the E-Blast of June 27 about his career with U.S. AID, Fritz Gilbert wants our readers to know that he was not among the creators of the Famine Early Warning System, but directed it 1998-2000.

We welcome corrections, and eagerly invite contributions of photos and news from individuals, parishes, and groups in North America, UK, Sudan, and South Sudan concerning your accomplishments and your needs.

Dr. Justin Badi Arama, formerly Bishop of Maridi in the Equatoria region and currently serving as steering committee chairman of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Provinces, has served as Primate of the Episcopal Church of South since 2019.

The Provincial Secretary of the ECS, the Rev. Peter Garang Deng, responded recently to e-mail questions posed by AFRECS Executive Director Dane Smith. (Responses edited for brevity and clarity.)

What are the main issues the Church is facing at this difficult time in South Sudan?

The same challenges that citizens go through– Insecurity due to internal conflicts, economic challenges, and weak external relations

Archbishop Justin Badi Arama has over the years been active in promoting peace in South Sudan.  What is his current focus?

 Archbishop still keeps the same focus through Episcopal Mediation Advisory Team (EMAT), the ECSS peace wing. He also encourages the dioceses through their internal provinces, pastoral counselling, preaching of the word of God, and peace messages.

He has told me that the Episcopal University is a priority for him.  How is that evolving?  We have been able to raise scholarship funds for the University.  

Through your efforts, students are able to continue with their studies once their fees are paid, accommodation, writing materials, and other needs are provided. The level of dropout is reduced because Primate was able to sponsor the needy students. In return, these pastors will be able to go and share the Gospel to their local congregations.

Has the fighting in the Nasir area and more recently in Kajo-Keji, as well as more random violence in the country, affected different ECSS dioceses?

Loss of lives. Destruction of the properties.  Displacements.  No access to food, clean water, or health facilities. There are no farming activities as a result of conflict and fear.

How are the problems of inflation and reported shortages of currency affecting the Church?

Since Church is part and parcel of the affected communities, we are equally affected. Church member livelihood is affected. Poor living standards affect school children and elderly ones. Development projects are on hold. Pastors and local evangelists face transportation challenges as they share the gospel in their congregations and dioceses– vulnerable to diseases.

I can summarize the needs of  the ECSS family in South Sudan: 1. Humanitarian support to Nasir and Kajo Keji populations. 2. Peace and reconciliation activities support. 3. Pastors’ training support, through The Episcopal University and the constituent colleges.

The standoff continues between the Rapid Support Forces under Gen. Mohamed Dagalo (Hemedti) and the Sudan Armed Forces under Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The SAF has consolidateded control of Khartoum and Omdurman, while the RSF seeks to bring the whole of Darfur under its sway in the ongoing siege of Al-Fasher.  The RSF has announced a separate government, with prime minister and presidential council.  SPLM/North Gen. Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, master in the Nuba Mountains, has joined the RSF’s so-called “New Sudan.” We have heard reports that a U.S.-sponsored meeting in Washington scheduled for July 30 involving Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE was abruptly canceled when Egypt balked (see https://responsiblestatecraft.org/sudan-peace-talks/ ).

In this catastrophic situation the Episcopal Primate in Sudan, Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo, has managed to move limited funds to his scattered churches for food and medical supplies.  AFRECS has provided emergency funds, as have church organizations in the UK.  These funds once in the Bank of Khartoum move very quickly via its remarkable Bankak app. We are encouraging the Archbishop to work with the Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), courageous Sudanese civilians providing one meal a day and other support through community kitchens.

South Sudan is experiencing increasing violence and lawlessness. Bombing of forces said to be associated with SPlM/IO Nasir in Upper Nile has generated massive displacement.  South Sudan Peoples Defense Forces recently clashed with Ugandan forces near KajoKeji. The UN has just reported that 125,000 South Sudanese have fled into Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

 The Episcopal Church of South Sudan under Primate Archbishop Justin Badi Arama continues as a positive force despite dysfunctional government and absence of rule of law. (I invite you to read the linked report from Provincial Secretary Rev. Peter Garang about ECSS activities and priorities.) AFRECS is particularly proud of its partnership with the Five Talents organization and the Mothers’ Union (Episcopal Women) in providing effective trauma healing while generating successful small businesses for South Sudan’s suffering women.  Meanwhile the Episcopal University is gaining strength, aided by scholarship funds via AFRECS.

Currently serving as Interim Rector at St. James Episcopal Church in Mount Vernon, Virginia, the Rev. Susan B. Pinkerton was elected to the AFRECS Board on June 12. She previously handled complex civil litigation in Oklahoma, before earning an M.Div. from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. It was during a long visit to the Anglican Church of Tanzania that she developed a love for Africa, leading her to be involved with refugees while serving parishes in Connecticut, Illinois, and California. Her infectious enthusiasm will help strengthen our ties to programs in trauma healing, theological education, and education of young women in the two Sudans. 

Known for helping create the Famine Early Warning System during a career focused on Sub-Saharan Africa with the U.S. Agency for International Development from 1964 to 1994, Dr. Frederick E. Gilbert retired from the board of AFRECS on June 12.

After his retiring from USAID, Gilbert consulted on economic development planning, program management, and evaluation in Africa. To explain his persistent engagement with the Sudans, he said, “I was bitten by the Sudan bug.”

The AFRECS Board responded:

“BECAUSE Frederick E. Gilbert, called Fritz, in 2004 conceived the idea of gathering scattered American friends of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, then baptized us with the name AFRECS, scrupulously guarded our treasury (demanding original receipts), and knew when it was timely to challenge a bishop or even an Executive Director,

On this 12th day of June 2025 A.D., the Board of AFRECS unanimously thanks God for the gifts Fritz has shared with us for 21 years and declares him to be a jolly good companion on the Way.”

Quantitative data is often difficult to obtain from South Sudan, the newest nation in the world..  On many charts, South Sudanese statistics might still be co-mingled with Sudanese figures; and on world maps, South Sudanese territory might be grayed out with an asterisk indicating that data is unreliable or not available.  Yet in a country like South Sudan suffering the extreme impact of conflict, corruption, climate change, and poverty, a few simple numbers help to paint the picture for U.S. and other international decision-makers. 

Here are some numbers I drew from during my time as the U.S. ambassador to Juba:

• 99% – The percentage of South Sudanese who voted for independence in the 2011 national referendum. 
• 193^rd – South Sudan became the 193^rd member state of the United Nations in 2011.
• Zero – The number of national elections held in South Sudan since attaining independence in 2011.
• 2 – The number of years of peace before newly independent South Sudan lapsed into civil war.
• 5 – The number of vice-presidents following the 2018 peace agreement. (Despite the inclusive design of that agreement, most observers predict the agreement is poised to fall apart in the near future.)
• 44^th – South Sudan is the 44^th largest country in the world by area (slightly smaller than Texas).  Its population is approximately 13 million.
• 15% — A vast swamp formed by the White Nile – the Sudd – covers approximately 15% of South Sudan’s territory.  South Sudan is the 2^nd most vulnerable country to extreme climate events.
• 64 – The number of different tribal groups and languages in South Sudan.
• 1^st – South Sudan has the fastest population growth rate in the world (4.65%); people aged 0-14 years comprise 42% of the population.
• 1^st —South Sudan has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world (1,223 deaths/100,000 live births).
• 400,000 – The approximate number of excess deaths caused by the South Sudan civil war from 2013-18, as determined by a ground-breaking U.S.Government-funded study conducted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
• 150,000 – 200,000 – The estimated number of active Defense Forces (2025) in South Sudan; the United Nations Mission in South Sudan had about 15,000 personnel deployed in the country as of 2024.
• 2,800,000 — UNICEF estimates that 2.8 million school-age children (70%) are NOT enrolled in schools.  The South Sudanese government ranks 191^st of 193 in terms of government expenditures on education – just 1.5% of GDP in a 2016 estimate.  Literacy rate is 34.5%.
• 7,700,000  – The number of South Sudanese facing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) in need of urgent action.
• 1^st – South Sudan has long been considered the most dangerous country for humanitarian workers (Gaza is in the running in recent years as well) per the Aid Worker Security Report. It is also one of the most expensive places to deliver aid because of geography and conflict conditions.
• 1^st — South Sudan’s refugee crisis remains the largest in Africa, with over 2.3 million South Sudanese refugees hosted in neighboring countries.  In turn, South Sudan hosts some 330,000 refugees and asylum-seekers (mainly from Sudan) and has 2 million internally displaced persons due to conflict, insecurity and the impact of climate change. In addition, over 500,000 South Sudanese refugees have returned to the country since the signing of the 2018 Peace Agreement.
• 193 of 193 – South Sudan’s ranking in UNDP’s composite Human Development Index.

Numbers alone can’t fully describe the dire situation in South Sudan.  Direct engagement and thoughtful analysis are also critical, in addition to actual data, as the U.S. Administration makes consequential decisions about its relationship to the South Sudanese government and the provision of needed humanitarian and development assistance benefitting the South Sudanese people. 

Tom Hushek was the United States Ambassador to South Sudan, 2018-2020. He is a member of the Board of AFRECS.