Appeal to the International Donor and Diplomatic Community in the Sudan

From the Rt. Rev. Daniel Deng Bul, Archbishop and Primate of the Province of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan:

4th May 2009

I, Daniel Deng Bul, Archbishop and Primate of the Province of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan and Bishop of the Diocese of Juba, am personally appealing to the international donor and diplomatic communities, on behalf of the entire Church and the entire country, for increased support and action in safeguarding the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Over the past year I have undertaken major tours of Southern Sudan, covering almost all of Equatoria, Lakes State and Jonglei State. During these visits I have witnessed first hand the suffering of my people and the increasing fear of communities on the ground because of a situation of ever-increasing insecurity. In the Church’s opinion, this is the biggest problem in Sudan today, and prevents any further material or economic development, as well as the free and fair elections desperately needed in February 2010 and the referendum on Southern secession scheduled for 2011.

Peoples in Western and Central Equatoria are being attacked, murdered and displaced by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), rumoured to be supplied by people within Sudan. A large number of civilians in Eastern Equatoria, Lakes and Jonglei states are armed. The proliferation of modern weapons has caused traditional tribal conflicts over cattle ownership and grazing rights to increase and escalate into far bloodier warfare all over Southern Sudan – warfare that is now damaging the unity of the people and the CPA process as a whole. Last week a large weapons cache was apprehended in Lakes State and there are rumours of trucks loaded with weaponry heading north out of Juba to fuel tribal violence in Central Equatoria State.

The only conclusion one can draw is that these are ancient disputes that are being deliberately stirred up into something much more damaging for the local people and the stability of our country as a whole. Who is doing this is still largely unknown, but it is evident from local reports received through the Church network that the arms smuggling, re-armament and incitement of tribal violence is being carried out by enemies of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

During Easter 2009, I visited Jonglei State, travelling from Bor right up to Ayod in the Nuer lands. Although I and the vast majority of the party I was travelling with are Dinka, we were welcomed, and I as a Church leader spoke about love and peace between tribes. On my return to Juba I was informed that following the visit all cattle raiding and violence in the Ayod area has ceased. I take this as proof that the Church is one of the most effective ground-level players in the peace process and as proof that our message of love and reconciliation is one that is most effective in peace building amongst the tribes of Southern Sudan.

The Church has a presence in almost all small villages in the South, coverage unmatched by any organisation, including the Government of Southern Sudan and the SPLA, which in most cases are no longer able to keep the peace on the ground. The army is largely absent from effected areas, the police are too few to provide adequate security to even the County Commissioners, let alone the people, and therefore the government is in danger. As evidence of this I cite the fact that the police in Twic East County of Jonglei State were not able to contain local violence even during my visit to the area.

I am therefore making a passionate and heartfelt appeal to those governments and organisations that form Sudan’s diplomatic and donor community, in particular the United Nations agencies and the governments of the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Netherlands, all of which have a major presence in Southern Sudan and are guarantor signatories of the CPA.

As guarantors you have a duty to prevent this nation from returning to war, and I urge you to consider very seriously the churches as key partners in the work of peace-building on the ground. This is a problem that requires an ecumenical approach – all churches need to be supported by international stakeholders in the CPA to be tools of peace building on the ground. With our community-level network that surpasses any other, we need to be empowered to spread peace in this land as I have been doing in Jonglei State last month. We must teach our people that they are part of much bigger politics of which they are unaware, but which they are destabilising. They must also be empowered to make free and fair democratic choices in the upcoming elections and referendum.

My worry, and the fear of many thousands of people I have spoken to across Southern Sudan in the past year, is that the current escalating violence will add to the current disputes between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) over the North-South border and the Abyei Protocol, that are already threatening to cause the CPA to collapse. If the CPA is not guaranteed now, war can start again all too quickly, during which a return to peace will be incredibly difficult, the Sudanese people will be further devastated and the whole region will be destabilised.

If you are guarantors of the CPA, then why is the international community allowing this violence to continue? I beseech you to act now to prevent it and protect the peace of my people.

Yours in the love and peace of Christ,

The Most Rev. Dr. Daniel Deng Bul Yak
Archbishop and Primate of the Province of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan

Robin Denney on the cover of April 26th issue of "The Living Church"

From Rev. Michael Ridgway, St. Stephens-in-the-Field:

El Camino Real's own Robin Denney is featured on the cover of this weeks "The Living Church" (April 26th, 2009). Inside there is a feature article on missionary work in the Sudan entitled "Sustaining Spirit in the Church of the Sudan" by members of The Episcopal Church. Among those pictured are The Rt. Rev. Nathaniel Garang, Bishop of the Diocesed of Bor and former interim archbishop of The Episcopal Church of the Sudan and Robin outside the church compound in Bor.

Article is available to online and print subscribers only :(

Photo: Phil Darrow

Update from Robin Denney - Episcopal Missionary in Sudan

From Robin Denney - The Sudan:

Dear Friends,

The convoy of three flat bed semi-trucks, half a dozen pick-ups and SUVs, and assorted government and police vehicles, thudded over potholes, fish-tailed through muddy slews, trundled over bumps and rocks, and occasionally zigzagged out into the bush or open plain searching for a passable route, all the while accompanied by the sound of drums and song coming from the 200 singing evangelists aboard the semi-trucks. In all we were, the Archbishop and his wife, three bishops, a hand full of staff, at least 30 pastors, government officials, soldiers, and the 200 strong marching choir. In a week and a half we traveled approximately 550 miles, averaging less than 20 miles per hour, through forest and plain and swamp, across territory plagued by cattle raiders and rogues, stopping at every village and town to greet the crowds who came to welcome us, preach about reconciliation, and pray for peace and justice. This was the Archbishop's peace, reconciliation, and evangelism tour of Jonglei state.

The Episcopal Church of Sudan is praying for Jonglei State in this time of insecurity. In March more than 750 people were killed, and on Palm Sunday 40 were killed in one village. Cattle raiders ambush the cattle keepers, kill them, and steal the cows, then fighting breaks out between the groups. (See my blog for more info).

We set out from Juba on Holy Wednesday. On Maundy Thursday we were in the town of Bor, which is the capitol of the state. Our marching choir, the "Youth Mamas", and the youth of Bor, led a prayer march around the town. We stopped, and the Archbishop prayed first at the hospital, then inside the prison, then at the government offices. Finally we ended up at the town square, where the bishops led a prayer and preaching rally, attended by thousands of people.

Most of the church women in Sudan and some of the men, carry crosses with them. They wave them when singing songs, hold them aloft in testimony, or just hold them as a tangible reminder of their faith. As we traveled along the road, I saw that people carried their crosses not just to church, but everywhere they went: walking to the next village, collecting firewood, hauling water... I wondered if they clung to their crosses because of the insecurity. The Archbishop told me it had become the way they lived their lives-carrying the cross. I was presented with a cross by one of the women, because I greeted them in the name of Jesus, in the Dinka language. So on Good Friday, I had a cross to carry and wave.

One of the villages we stopped at on Good Friday was the village of Kapat, where 40 people had been killed by thieves less than a week before on Palm Sunday. Jerry Drino tells me that some of our Sudanese brothers in the Diocese of El Camino Real lost family members in this village. It is a small village, and the people were obviously crushed by such a tragedy. And yet the Mother's Union still came out to greet the delegation, singing and waving their crosses. We stayed a bit longer at this village. One of the women was asked to pray, and though I couldn't understand the words, I could hear the passion of her faith behind her tears, and it moved me deeply. With the cross in my hand and Kapat on my mind, I thought about the meaning of Good Friday. And it seemed that this path we were on was the way of the cross. The suffering and fear and despair along the path is too great for us to bear. But Christ has borne it, and the people have found comfort carrying the cross of Christ.

On Easter, our open-air service in the village of Wangulei was attended by nearly 5,000 people. We continued northward to places so remote they had never been visited by an Archbishop or any dignitary. But the church was still there, cut off most of the year by impassable roads. We passed the conflicted boarder between the Dinka and Nuer tribes, into the Nuer territory. In the town of Ayod we were greeted by the choirs of 4 different denominations, for a wonderful display of Christian unity. We stayed two days, and I noticed the feeling change as we were there. Excitement and hope were building. The Youth Mamas were a particularly powerful witness, made up of many different tribes, on a mission together for peace. People were gathering where the Youth Mamas were camped-out to talk with them and learn from them. The people insisted we stay an extra night so they could slaughter a bull for a feast. The local witch doctor cast aside his magic accessories, and went to the Youth Mamas for prayer. 63 people were confirmed, three evangelists were commissioned, and three people ordained. And after the prayer rally, 5 thieves were caught. The group that gathered to see us off was a very different group indeed than the one that greeted us. Their faces were alight with something I had not noticed earlier-hope, courage, joy.

It was a Holy Week of walking in the way of the suffering, and it was an Easter Week of transformation by the risen Christ. The problems continue in Jonglei, with another 14 killed two days ago. But into this broken and hurting world we proclaim the hope of Christ crucified and risen. And I can tell you with certainty that that hope makes all the difference.

Blessings to you in this Easter season.
Love, Robin

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More stories on my blog from this month: http://robin-mission.blogspot.com/

- An article about the amazing journey to Western Tanganika I was blessed to be on
- A reflection on the Youth Mamas and evangelism
- A link to more info about the violence in Jonglei
- This letter with photos

An Appeal from the Bishop of Yambio, Sudan: Theological Education Partnership Opportunity

From Jerry Drino:

Below is a communication between the Bishop of Yambio in Sudan and Jerry Drino. Yambio has one of the three school of theology that are function in the Province of the Sudan with 5 million or more Episcopalians. WIth only 20% of the clergy having had any basic formal theological education, the survival and support of the BYEET is very crucial for the health and growth of the Church in the Sudan. The Chruch Missionary Society in the UK has supported the school from the beginning but has recently withdrawn their funds because of lack of donations. Jerry met with the principal, the Rev. Jackson Bullen, in 2008 while visiting dioceses in Sudan. Please contact Jerry (408) 259-2111 jdrino@sbcglobal.net if you are interested in gaining more information.
Dear Rev. Jerry

Greetings and best wishes, I am writing this email to you as Bishop of Yambio diocese in support of the email sent to you by Rev. Jackson Bullen the Principle of BYEET. Actually this Theological School in the Diocese of Yambio has been very important for Yambio Diocese and even other sister Dioceses, and for Sudan as a whole, it has been training candidates from both Yambio Diocese and other neighboring Diocese like Ibba Diocese and Ezo Diocese, but having no any partner whom to partner with. Therefore i will be most grateful if you could enter into our partnerships discussions as you Aleda began with Rev. jackson Bullen. We can even start to talk about inviting you or anyone from there to come and visit us in Yambio so that we can find way forward for our partnership, possibly from July, 2009 to September,2009

Thanks, waiting to hear from you

Yours in Him

Bishop Peter Munde Yacoub
Bishop of Yambio

Urgent Prayer Request

From Robin Denney:

Please pray for the following dioceses in Southern Sudan, which have, this week, suffered major displacement of people, influx of refugees, abductions, loss of life, casualties, and destruction of crops and property, at the hands of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), a group of northern Ugandan rebels:
Ezzo, Yambio, Ibba, Maridi, Mundri, Lui, and Torit

Sudan Prayer Request Details pt. 1

From Bishop Francis Loyo, Anglican Bishop of Rokon in Southern Sudan via Fr. Jerry Drino:

Dear Jerry,

Thank you very much for your concern for the people of the Sudan.

The people of the world are very busy with some of their own things and less concern with things or stories far away from them, however, there is a concern always for the Sudan where suffering is still created within the community which has just come out of the civil war for 21 years.

Can we share the burdens of the war with those who are keeping the people of the Sudan in prayers? We believed that some of these things happened and will one day go as well.

What is very important and urgent is the human sufferings and the great concerns for aged and mothers as well as the children who are living under trees and no shelters or even food to eat or water to drink.

Life is precious and we must valued it, so let us act together in prayers and in support for those dioceses of Yambio, Ezzo, Ibba, Mundri, Lui possibly Torit and we hope that it may not engulf other dioceses as well.

Please your continuous prayers support is highly appreciated with thanks.

Thanks,

+Francis Loyo.

Sudan Prayer Request Details pt. 2

From Fr. Jerry Drino:

Dear Friends,

I have just received this email from the Diocese of Salisbury, England who is in a companion relationship with the whole Province of the Sudan. The attacks of the Lord's Resistance Army on the Diocese of Mundri under score the precarious conditions under which the people and the Church in the Sudan exist. When I was leaving Sudan in December the southern government, Kenya and Uganda had launched an all out attack on all the LRA strong holds. However, an estimated 600 of their soldiers survived and continue their work. In the Diocese of Torit 90% of all the adults were killed. The bishops there are bishops of a diocese of children - over 60,000.

Pray for Mundri and all of the Sudan and the Church that attempts to serve peace and justice. Pray for Robin Denney who leaves on the 23 to begin her mission work as the agricultural resource person for the Province of the Sudan. Pray for her success and safety.

Jerry

Good News from Sudan

We have wonderful news from Juba. Guet, the wife of James Atem Tuor has been found and her abductor is in jail. In talking with James yesterday, Guet seems to be unharmed and is staying with elders of her clan in Juba. Your prayers and concerns have been most helpful during these trying times. Equally, important have been your generous commitment to help James Atem get to Juba to be with his wife in what has to be a healing for both of them. We are hoping that today we will have sufficient funds committed so that he can leave tomorrow for Nairobi and then on to Juba.

The circumstance with Guet is all to common in Sudan and elsewhere. The marriage customs are out of control with exhorbinent dowries being required now for brides. Consequently, older men are able to marry several wives or guys that are in the US, Canada, and Australia can seemingly afford to raise the funds for the marriage. Consequently, thousands of young men are without means to find a wife. Increasingly, they turn to abduction of attractive young women. Fortunately, Guet was not spirited away to a distant village where she could have disappeared permanently.

Please keep Guet and James Atem in your prayers as well as her abductor.

I (Jerry Drino) am planning to leave on December 5 to fly to Nairobi and then on to Juba for meetings with the President of Southern Sudan and his cabinet as the leaders of a delegation of US based Sudanese NGOs that have been started by other former Lost Boys/Girls who are now doing projects in Education, Health, Water and Agriculture in southern Sudan.

Prayer for the success of this endeavor, as well

Jerry Drino

Emergency in Sudan

Guet Garang, 22 year old wife of James Atem Tuor of San José has been abducted in Juba, Southern Sudan. She has been living with her mother and a sister in an apartment which James Atem provides for them in Nakuru, Kenya and had gone a week ago to visit another sister in Juba. On Tuesday, five days later she disappeared, presumably abducted after she left the home.

Obviously, James Atem is terribly distraught. We are in the process of booking a ticket for him to fly to Juba as soon as possible so that he can be closer to the search efforts. His uncle is a commander of the Sudanese People Liberation Army and holding the office of retirement personnel. He is heading up the search process

Please keep Guet and her safety and James Atem and their family in your prayers.

We are seeking any contributions to cover the $1650 round trip airfare to Nairobi and the $700 round trip airfare from their to Juba.

Please send donations to

Hope With Sudan
5038 Hyland Ave
San José, CA 95127
www.hopewithsudan.org

Thank you

Jerry Drino
Executive Director
Hope With Sudan
(408) 806-4506

jdrino@hopewithsudan.org

Sudan Advocacy Action Forum Situation Update 29-2008

Dear Friends of Sudan,

This update will address issues in both Darfur and Kordofan.

In recent days there has been a flurry of worrisome reports. The first was that Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) -- which runs the semi-autonomous south and is a partner in the Government of National Unity -- both have been building up their armies ahead of the 2009 elections and 2011 referendum when the South will choose whether to secede from the north. Khartoum has been purchasing arms from China and North Korea, including fighter jets and tankers, while the Southerners, suspecting that Khartoum is bent on scuttling the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), have been preparing for any eventuality.

There have been reports about the kidnapping of nine Chinese oil workers, the third such incident in the energy-producing state of South Kordofan in the past year, and the death of five of them. Who was responsible for the
kidnapping and the deaths is unclear, but what is clear is that analysts say the underdeveloped region could become another violent flashpoint. Although the kidnapping took place in South Kordofan, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), one of the Darfuri rebel factions, is being blamed. If indeed JEM is responsible, its action expands insecurity from neighbouring Darfur into the Kordofan region.

Pray for peace for the people of Sudan.

In His Service,

Bill
Bill Andress
Sudan Advocacy Action Forum

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Sudan Update 29-2008

October 31, 2008

SAAF Note: People who want to help make a difference in Darfur
frequently ask if sending money to aid organizations would be beneficial. The painful answer is that the factors that currently inhibit the aid agencies have less to do with insufficient funds and are more related to issues of insecurity and violence perpetrated by the Government of Sudan (GoS) and in some instances warlords who have taken advantage of the internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Darfur: Humanitarian Access

Humanitarian access in Darfur is primarily determined by a combination of three factors:

1. The degree of general insecurity, which may require the United Nations and other humanitarian partners to suspend or limit operations in certain unsafe areas for a certain amount of time;

2. The continued harassment of humanitarian organizations and workers, including blanket denial of humanitarian access, bureaucratic obstacles,detention and intimidation of national staff, bullying and temporary denial of access to affected areas and IDP camps.

3. Targeted attacks on humanitarians and their assets, including hijacking of cars and abduction of personnel, physical violence directed towards humanitarian workers, road ambushes, destruction of NGO assets and armed break-ins in humanitarian compounds. Between July and October, one national humanitarian worker was killed and 12 wounded. So far this year, 11 national humanitarians have been killed against 13 during the whole year 2007. One hundred and forty-four times humanitarian premises have been assaulted/broken into during the first nine months of 2008 against 93 for the whole of 2007. (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Report: Section II, page 4)

Darfur: Education

Preliminary data gathered at the beginning of the 2008 school year (June-July) showed encouraging progress with 126,619 children (96,923 boys and 56,696 girls) enrolled as 1st graders in the three states in Darfur. Total primary school enrolment in Darfur, according to Ministry of Education data, is now nearly 977,000 - 65 per cent of the primary school population. SAAF Note:
This is far better support of education than is experienced in Southern Sudan.

Darfur: Child protection

In August, a new Family and Child Protection Unit officially opened in North
Darfur, following the establishment of a similar unit in West Darfur earlier in
the year. The units are managed by local GoS police, with support from UNICEF, and provide specialist services to victims, offenders and witnesses of abuse and exploitation - services include social work, legal aid, psychosocial support, forensic evidence collection and child friendly investigation. The Units are also engaged in awareness raising and monitoring in communities, targeting high-risk areas with prevention activities and messages and through community dialogue. Preparations for a third Unit in South Darfur are ongoing and will open with UNICEF support in January 2009. (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Report: Section IV, pages 14- 15)

Sudan's Southern Kordofan Problem: The Next Darfur?

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended Sudan's generation-long North-South civil war in 2005 is at risk in Southern Kordofan state, where many of the same ingredients exist that produced the vicious Darfur conflict.

Southern Kordofan is a new state, created by the CPA, in the critical border area between North and South, a zone of ethnic interaction between Arab(mainly Misseriya and Hawazma) and indigenous African (mainly Nuba) tribes. Inadequate implementation of the CPA's special protocol relating to the region has led to insecurity and growing dissatisfaction. Tribal reconciliation based on negotiation of a common agenda, establishment of an efficient state government administration and adherence to the CPA's principles of power and wealthsharing have to be fostered from Khartoum and pushed forward by the international guarantors. There has been some limited recent progress, but much more is urgently needed.

The state's inhabitants were mobilized by the opposing sides during the North/South war and despite the CPA remain deeply scarred by that conflict, polarized and fragmented along political and tribal lines. They are armed and organized and feel increasingly abandoned by their former patrons, who have not fulfilled their promises to provide peace dividends. Return of internally displaced persons (IDPs), development projects and creation of an integrated state government administration have all stalled. Hundreds of people have died in disputes over land and grazing rights, with no comprehensive or sustainable local or national response. Efforts by the NCP and SPLM to co-opt Arab and African tribes, respectively, prior to elections by politicizing development policies are aggravating tensions.
(ICG Report, October 2008) http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=5738&l=1)

Blog Entry - Update #1 from Robin Denney in Sudan

From Robin Denney 24 October - Juba, Capitol of Southern Sudan
I arrived in Juba yesterday, greeted by Bishop Alapayo, and two others, John from the Kampala office, and Simon Peter from the development arm of the church. Everyone has been so welcoming. The bishops of Sudan have been gathered for training in Juba for the last two weeks, so I got to be here for the last two days, and meet the bishops. It has been a wonderful opportunity, having most of them in the same place. I met with the Archbishop and Bishop Alapayo today, and we discussed the details of the assignment. Which will be based in Juba, creating an stratigic plan for the establishment of an agricultural department for the whole province, and begining some projects in different diocses, begining with Rumbek. The rest of the day today, I've been catching each of the bishops for a chat about their diocese and the challenges and gifts they have in the way of agriculture. It has been facinating. Despite all they are facing, there is real positive energy here, among the bishops, and a sence of hope. I have spent the day between overwhelmingly excited about working here, and overwhelmed at the scope of what I am being asked to do. But I was able to speak frankly with the Archbishop about expectations, and what I think can be realistically accomplished in a year. He is very committed to agriculture work, and the other bishops are very pleased to have me. Despite the challenges, I am excited by the energy I have expereinced among the bishops these two days, and I am excited about this job... really amazing job. I spent time today talking with another expat who has lived here many years. He reminds me that we never feel prepared for this work, and that when it comes down to it, no one is prepared to face the challenges Southern Sudan is facing, but something is better than nothing. It is supper time, so I have to run!
love to you all, Robin

Mission Partnership Opportunity Alert

I received the following email from Canon Enock Tombe, Secretary General of the Episcopal Church in Sudan. Robin Denney, an agricultural advisor missionary from the Diocese of El Camino Real, is leaving Sunday from SFO for a two week assessment interview in Sudan, She will be placed as the Agricultural Advisor for the Episcopal Church in the Sudan in January or February. I inquired of Enock if there were any resources she needed to bring. He talked with six bishops who were in Juba, the southern capitol and gave me this response.

If you can do anything in the next 24 hours to make this response, please get back to me.

Thank you

Jerry

Jerry Drino, Executive Director -Hope With Sudan
408-259-2111 office
408-806-4506 cell

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Dear Rev. Jerry W. Drino,

Thanks very much for your message. I have consulted the Bishops who are currently in Juba since 13/10/2008 attending an Organisational Governance course for two weeks. The course is being facilitated by CORAT Africa and organised by SUDRA, the Development and Relief Agency of ECS. The list of items required are as follows:

1. Lui Diocese/Lui Hospital- TB medicines.
2. Malakal Diocese - Sprinkle water pump for irrigation.
3. Lainya Diocese - I-Mate Phone.
4. El Obied Diocese - Lap top computer.
5. Ezo Diocese - Money for purchasing 80 litres of diesel for Bishops tour of his Diocese from mid- November to December 2008.
6. Rejaf Diocese- Lap top computer or Video Camera.

I hope the information will help you support the six Dioceses.

Looking forward to your reply.


Regards,


Rev. Canon Enock Tombe
PS/ECS Juba.

US Sudanese Form an Alliance for Development

Eighteen Sudanese non-governmental organizations NGOs met in Rochester, NY on September 20-21. Developed over the last four to five years by groups who came as "The Lost Boys of Sudan," the intention of the meeting was to form an alliance to create a unified program to deliver clean water, medical facilities, schools and agricultural development projects to war-torn Southern Sudan. Among the leaders of this group are John Dau ("God Grew Tired of Us"), Salva Dut ("Water for Sudan"), Aduie de Riak (New Sudan Education Initiative) and Valantino Achak Deng ("What is the What"). Currently the combined work of the eighteen NGOs is impacting about a quarter of a million people in southern Sudan. It is their vision that the combined and coordinate the efforts of all the NGOs to assist the Government of Southern Sudan and the communities to re-establish and transform themselves into self-sufficient societies that will thrive and live in peace. Fr. Jerry Drino was elected as the chairman of the executive committee.

Want to read more? Follow this link to the following news article and video clip.
See also the Organizational Roster and the Hope of Sudan Mission Core Values Statement.