NEW YORK, NY, June 2, 2004—The chief mission executive of The United Methodist Church today took a cautiously optimistic view of the recent formal moves toward ending a long civil war in Sudan.

The Rev. R. Randy Day, general secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries, welcomed accords signed in Kenya in late May between the government of Sudan and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement. The negotiations had been in process for two years.

“We are thankful for any measures that point toward peace in the East African country where more than two million lives have been lost to armed conflict over the last 21 years,” he said.

Day, however, expressed reservations that the agreements adequately address the situation in the southwest Darfur region, where armed Arab militia, supplied by the government, have killed and uprooted thousands of Africans. Great numbers have fled into neighboring Chad. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is working with other humanitarian agencies in providing services to the refugees in Chad.

The new agreements, which were drafted over a two-year period, address such issues as regional power sharing and the role of Islamic law in Sudanese political life. Sharia (Islamic law) will, the accords say, be limited to the north, which is heavily Muslim and Arabic-speaking.

Since the accords are preliminary, Day expressed the hope that the situation in Darfur will be added to the agenda as the talks continue.
Day said that another major challenge is “the resettlement of an estimated 800,000 people, many of them Christians and animists, who, during the war left southern Sudan for refuge in the Muslim, Arabic-speaking north.” He noted that some sources say this number may be as high as three million.

The thousands of Sudanese refugees in Chad are beyond the scope of the peace accords at present. UMCOR and other humanitarian agencies are struggling to respond to acute needs.

Donations to the Sudan Refugee Emergency may be placed in the offering plate of any United Methodist church or mailed to UMCOR at 475 Riverside Drive, Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Please note on the check the name and the Advance number of the project: “Sudan Emergency, Advance Number 184385”. Credit card donations may be made by calling 1 888- 252-6174.

The full text of Day’s statement follows:

We prayerfully welcome accords signed last week as major steps toward ending the long civil war in Sudan. We are thankful for any measures that point toward peace in the East African country where more than two million lives have been lost to armed conflict over the last 21 years.

At the same time, we must not be overly optimistic that the signatures on paper will end the humanitarian crisis or the violence, especially in the Darfur region where thousands of people are homeless or have fled into neighboring Chad.

The measures approved in late May in Kenya concern grievances between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the central government in Khartoum over issues such as regional power sharing and the role of Islamic law in Sudanese life. They do not address the control of marauding government-backed militia in Darfur.

Another looming challenge is the resettlement of an estimated 800,000 people, many of them Christians and animists, who, during the war left southern Sudan for refuge in the Muslim, Arabic-speaking north. Some sources say this number may be closer to three million.
The new agreements, which were two years in the making, are preliminary. They aim at further talks on issues at conflict, and we hope that the situation in Darfur will be included in the ongoing deliberations.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and other humanitarian organizations continue to seek assistance in ministering to homeless Sudanese both inside the country and in Chad. Great efforts will also be required to resettle and repatriate those uprooted in the protracted war.

May God bless and multiply all of those who are working for a lasting and comprehensive peace in Sudan. By mandate of the 2004 General Conference, the legislating body for The United Methodist Church, the General Board of Global Ministries is monitoring and reporting on the situation in Sudan.

Let me also urge United Methodists to respond to the needs of the refugees in Chad.

	See Also... Topic: Christian love |  GBGM news |  International affairs |  Peace |  UMCOR |  United Methodist Church |  Partners/partnerships |  Geographic Region: Africa |  Sudan |  Source: GBGM Press Releases
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Date posted: Jun 02, 2004