Praying for Sudan

Sudan Needs Our Prayers

Christians in Sudan have asked you and I to pray! Both north and south Sudan are preparing for war. The situation is complex, the problems many. Please ask prayer networks you know to be involved in this strategic prayer effort for Sudan.

Background:

A Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed between North and South Sudan January 9, 2005. The deal stated South Sudan would hold a Referendum -- January 9th 2011. South Sudan is to vote on whether it will choose independence or be part of a united Sudan.

It is believed that S. Sudan will have to declare independence and then let the fighting happen...hoping the int'l community will stop the fight quickly.

Officially North and South politicians claim they want a united Sudan, specifically they say they do not want war. South Sudan has much oil, but it is exported from North Sudan's ports. North Sudan is under Sharia law and strict ideologies of Islam. South Sudan is "Christian" and animist (in fact, there are many Christians in government and areas of leadership and business).

Sudan has been torn with war for many years, both Religious and Cultural (tribal wars). There is little unity in Sudan, the largest country of Africa.

Another complication is Darfur which strains relationships with neighboring countries such as Chad. Although an international arrest warrant has been issued on Sudan's (Muslim) president Omar Hassan al-Bashir, it has not stopped him traveling to neighboring countries who in turn get pressure from the International community. (Realistically the International community is also interested in the oil and is not pushing hard for Bashir's arrest nor for renewed war.)

There are many reasons war might break out in Sudan now, it is a complex situation. But the real eye-opener is to read the forums where open hatred is spewed between North and South Sudanese.It seems that ordinary Sudanese sitting at home on their computers want revenge for past atrocities and bloodshed. The mood of the forums is that these computer users are ready and willing to go to the killing fields. Here are some examples:

Forum Quotes

• "Show me a southerner who ever said I am a Sudanese ... they always take pride in being Southern and never Sudanese." [In a showdown with a post from a north Sudanese writer.]
• "Neither do we care about being Arabs or not, but you can see the barrage of hatred here." [A southerner observing the comments on a Sudanese newspaper site.]
• "And who is going to control the water (Nile River)? Not those boys up there!" [Another complication since water is precious to the region.]
• "Yeah war is not yet over! All Sudanese must taste the killing including the North Sudan." [On whether war will come if independence comes. One of many, many entries where both north and south Sudanese show they are ready if not committed to a new war!]
• "Therefore, I call upon all South Sudanese people as we approach referendum to decide our fate and total independence from north, let us desist from Arab and Islamic culture and to abide to our unique African and Christian culture to differentiate us from radical Arab and Islamic culture, which I know will take years and years to overcome it in our South Sudan society but have we forgotten our African and Christian cultures!" [Commentary from a Southerner about the "Arabization" of South Sudan.]
• "However, after an Islamic legal code was introduced on a national level, the ruling National Congress (NCP) established themselves as the sole political party in the state and has since supported the use of recruited Arab militias in guerrilla warfare, such as in the ongoing conflict in Darfur." [The history of Sudan.]
• "Program of "Arabization" in process." [Sudanese newspaper article.]
• "A generation drenched in hate." [A comment observing the mood from a forum where both north and south Sudanese flame each other.]
• "Sudan's independent history has been dominated by chronic, exceptionally cruel warfare that has starkly divided the country on racial, religious, and regional grounds; displaced an estimated four million people (of a total estimated population of thirty-two million); and killed an estimated two million people." [Wikipedia entry on Sudan.]

Prayer Starters specific to War in Sudan:

• Pray that the Christian leaders of South Sudan can hear clearly the Lord's will regarding Sudan's future.
• Pray that grass-roots reconciliation can become widespread -- between the tribes of Sudan and the many hurt people.
• Pray the surrounding countries will stay out of Sudan and stay out of this complicated referendum.
• Pray for the various people groups / tribes of Sudan (we have several listed on site).
• Pray that there would be a fair and comprehensive deal for both South and North on the splitting of the oil wealth.
• Just imagine getting to heaven and the Lord adds, "Well done, you stopped a war in Sudan."

This was taken from the website The 30 Days Prayer Network