The Archbishop of Canterbury is backing a call by Pope Francis for a day of prayer and fasting today for the people of South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The call has been supported by Anglican leaders around the world. Archbishop Justin Welby said: 'I support this call and invite you to join us – and people around the world – in praying that these terribly suffering populations will know peace.'
Welby, who travelled to war-torn South Sudan last August, went on: 'On my visits to both countries in recent years, it's been impossible to describe the overwhelming scale of destruction. These conflicts are causing terrible loss of life. Huge numbers of people have been forced to flee their homes, which is tearing apart families and communities.
'There are more than a million new internally displaced people. Famine is causing great suffering and danger. In South Sudan, up to 6 million people face starvation. Sexual violence and humiliation are being committed on the most atrocious scale in both countries.'
Around 2 million people have fled South Sudan since fighting broke out in December 2013, sparking what has become the world's fastest growing refugee crisis and largest cross-border exodus in Africa since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Welby said: 'On my last visit there, I listened to a political leader tell me about the suffering and slaughter of her people. I visited a refugee camp in Uganda filled with South Sudanese children whose families had fled their homes to escape death.'
'We are called to pray fervently for the millions of people who simply cannot take any more of this war.'
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Kasai region in the past year alone, more than 3,300 people have been killed, including civilians caught in the crossfire of a brutal fight between the Congolese army and an opposing militia group.
And in the east of the country in the past week alone, some 7,000 people have reportedly fled to neighbouring Burundi and another 1,200 into Tanzania.
The archbishop suggests praying: for the leaders of South Sudan and DRC to turn their hearts from war to peace – and a peaceful solution to political problems; for all refugees from these countries; for forgiveness, healing and new relationships; for the local churches doing so much to look after people who are suffering, and to bring peace.
Bishop Anthony Poggo, the Archbishop of Canterbury's adviser on Anglican Communion Affairs, previously spent nine years as Bishop of Kajo-Keji in South Sudan.
He gave an overview of the situation there to Christian Today, saying: 'South Sudan became a new country in 2011 and sadly after a very short time it plunged into conflict, so for the last four years South Sudan has been having this conflict which is a struggle for power by our leaders which took on an ethnic dimension, resulting in the displacement of many people within the country as well as 2 million people who have crossed the border as refugees. A peace agreement was signed in 2016; it collapsed after 2 months and once again South Sudan has found itself in war with many people displaced and facing famine. There is a lot of suffering.'
On the call for prayer, Bishop Poggo said: 'I believe that the call for prayer by Pope Francis is an important call and Archbishop Justin and other Christian leaders have also joined in. It is important to bring these issues to God in prayer. Prayer is an important aspect of our faith. This situation has gone on for many years and it is important that we turn to God for prayer for these two countries.'
Speaking of his own experiences, he added: 'Before I took on this role I was Bishop of Kajo-Keji, which has a population of 196,000 according to the 2010 census. Some 95 per cent of these people have been forced to be refugees and are now in Uganda. A few others are internally displaced within South Sudan. Archbishop Justin in August visited the refugees – and in one of the camps that he visited, I saw many people that I worked with and knew: seeing them with houses and schools and seeing them now was a very painful and difficult thing to see, so war definitely caused a lot of suffering, with people facing starvation and dependent on food aid from the aid agencies.
'This is a reminder of the effects of war and the importance of peace so we don't have people forced out of their homes into situations where they depend on food aid.
'There is a need for forgiveness, healing and relationships that have been affected by this war.'
The acting Anglican primate of South Sudan, Archbishop Peter Munde Yacoub, said: 'Jesus says if we pray faithfully, the mountains can fall into the sea. We have mountains in front of us: the evil war and the killing of innocent people. Pray that Almighty God will remove this evil war and bring us peace, and remove the suffering of South Sudanese people.'
