Churches must Play Leading Role as Sudan Peace Deal Comes into Force

Leaders of all the main Sudanese Christian denominations met last week in Kampala, Uganda, and concluded that churches in Sudan must play a vital role in the first phase of the peace agreement in the country which will come into full force this weekend.

After attending the Kampala meeting, Michael Paget-Wilkes, the Archdeacon of Warwick, who chairs the Sudan Churches Association, said that Saturday marked the beginning of a vital opportunity for the Churches.

In January, the original peace deal was signed between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Khartoum government. On Saturday, SPLM leader John Garang will travel to Khartoum accompanied by thousands of his troops, marking the signing of the interim agreement.

Mr Garang will be President of the newly established Southern Sudan government and the vice-President of the new United Government of Sudan. After a course of six years, the south will vote on whether to remain as part of Sudan.

Around two million people have died in the conflict, which has seen 21 years of fighting in the south of Sudan between the predominantly Christian SPLM and the government-backed Muslim troops from the north. Finally the fighting ends with the new agreement.

"So much is being done already by the Churches," said Archdeacon Paget-Wilkes, "and this needs to be built on: the peace and justice workshops, and the vital work in reconciliation and trauma."

Wilkes believes that one of the Churches’ main tasks is reconciliation. "The peace agreement covers this area, but the jury is still out as to whether the Khartoum government will change its policies in that area," he said in regard to Darfur.

"The only difficulty is how much the government will honour this new treaty," he said about the peace deal as a whole.

Asylum has been refused from the United Kingdom. A statement by the Home Office this week: "There are individuals who are able to demonstrate a need for international protection. We do not, however, consider that each and every Sudanese national from Darfur who applies for asylum is in need of international protection."