International Christian organisations have united to call on the international community to do more to alleviate suffering in Sudan, which has been in a state of conflict for two years.
Two years ago, a series of coordinated attacks led to the deaths of over 100 people, with more than 20 of the dead being children. At least nine of those killed were humanitarian personnel tasked with aiding the local population.
A joint statement signed by the World Council of Churches, All Africa Conference of Churches, Caritas Africa and Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa, notes the current disastrous situation in Sudan.
Over 30 million people, representing over half the country’s population, are in need of urgent assistance.
The UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has described the conflict as “brutal and senseless” and has called for an end to the war and action from the international community.
The current conflict is being fought primarily between forces loyal to Sudan’s Prime Minister, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and followers of his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Other minor factions have allied themselves with the two major parties or have attempted to remain independent of both.
Estimates as to the death toll vary widely, but all are well into six figures.
Although the current war only dates back two years, Sudan has been in an almost constant state of civil war since just before independence from Britain in 1956.
The first Sudanese civil war lasted from 1955 to 1972 and claimed well over half a million lives. The second Sudanese civil war ran from 1983 to 2005 and led to the deaths of between one and two million people.
There have also been numerous smaller wars in different regions of the country running between or even during the main civil wars. Military coups are also far from uncommon.
The joint statement, which was organised by ACT Alliance & Caritas Internationalis, said, “The situation in Sudan is dire and without a concerted strong push for peace talks the conflict will only worsen. The international community cannot continue to turn a blind eye to Sudan. We must act decisively to bring the parties to the negotiation table and work towards a sustainable resolution of the conflict.”
Rev Dr Fidon R Mwombeki, General Secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, said, “A needless war, a war rooted in human greed and quest for power. Countless number of lives have been destroyed, displaced and traumatised for no fault of theirs. It takes courageous and compassionate leaders to stop war from happening and to end it, if it happens to occur.
"As people of faith, we call for an end to this mindless destruction of lives and property and for the international community to be intentional in demanding an enforceable ceasefire and mobilise resources to respond to the dire humanitarian situation in Sudan.”
