Last week the Persecution and Prayer Alert reported on a brutal attack on a village by government forces in Sudan in which fifty-nine people were killed, including the region's only pastor, and sixteen were abducted (see https://www.vomcanada.com/sd-2003-06-04.htm).
In a press release issued today, Servant's Heart, a US non-governmental organization with whom VOM partners in south Sudan, reports that the three boys who were kidnapped, ages four and six, have all been killed while in the custody of government forces. The remaining six women and seven girls are reportedly being held in the Government of Sudan regional military headquarters next to the Adar Yel oilfields in Eastern Upper Nile. It is expected that, unless something is done to gain their release, the women will be forcibly converted to Islam or "married" to military officers and the girls sold as slaves.
Last week's report indicated that the family of Pastor Jacob Manyal was killed in the attack. It was later discovered that his wife is still alive but in captivity. She is reportedly the "guest" of the government Militia Commander Chayot in Adar Yel. Her testimony, undoubtedly gained under duress, is being used to downplay the incident. Her two sons, Ruon Gadet Manyal (6) and Reath Gadet Manyal (4) were among the three boys killed in captivity.
In response to the attack, the US-led Civilian Protection Monitoring Team (CPMT) has taken an aggressive stance against Servant's Heart and reports about the attack, calling reaction to the incident "overblown." Three investigators from the CPMT visited one of Servant's Heart's operational bases in Eastern Upper Nile on June 7, demanding that Servant's Heart recant all statements. The head of the CPMT team told them, "We won't let your lies ruin this peace. We will do whatever it takes to bury this report and continue to move forward with the peace agreement." This is despite this attack being a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement. The US State Department was briefed by Servant's Heart on June 9, but has remained silent.
We encourage you to contact your local government representatives, calling on them to take action against this brutal regime. The Voice of the Martyrs' website contains links to find government contact information. Go to https://www.vomcanada.com/links.htm.
Pray for Pastor Manyal's wife, Nyaduar Deang Jany, and the other twelve still in captivity. Pray that action will be taken to have them released before they suffer any further.
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