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Sudan

• Update: South Sudan secession nearly certain; continue to pray

  The peaceful voting process of a historic referendum on Southern Sudan's secession from the North (click here for more details) came to an end on January 15. Early numbers of the vote indicate that the country may soon be divided, and Christians around the world continue to call for prayer for the nation and its people. Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio, in the southern region of Sudan, says his people have strong "expectations of change for the better" and urged continued prayers worldwide for "permanent peace in Sudan." Many Christians have reportedly left the North and capital city of Khartoum for the South out of fear that President Bashir's regime will shift toward "radical Islamization" in the wake of the referendum.

  Thank the Lord for a peaceful voting process. Pray for the shalom of God to reign throughout Sudan. Pray Sudanese Christians will continue to courageously proclaim Christ's way of compassion and love, even to those who seek to oppress them.

  For more information on the opposition facing Christians in Sudan, visit theSudan Country Report.

• Pray for Sudan amid historic referendum

  Sudan is a country with a long history of violence and conflict, including two civil wars between the largely Islamic North and the Christian and animist majority in the South. Christians, in particular, have endured severe opposition, and they continue to face many challenges to their witness. In the North, believers are subject to many restrictions. Evangelism is fiercely opposed and thus very limited, and all non-Muslims face intense pressure to convert to Islam. There have also been reports of violent attacks on Christians in other regions in recent years (click here to learn more).

  In 2005, the government in Khartoum and the Southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement signed a peace agreement. This agreement, which ended the country's second civil war, established semi-autonomy in the South and called for a referendum on independence. This referendum is scheduled to take place on January 9.

  While many are hopeful that the January 9 referendum will allow the South to separate from the North peacefully, there remains concern over the effect this transition will have on the country. Recent comments made by President Omar al-Bashir, regarding the reinforcement of Islamic law, have raised particular fear for Christians and all non-Muslims in the nation in the aftermath of the vote.

  "If south Sudan secedes, we will change the constitution," President al-Bashir has said. "Shariah and Islam will be the main source for the constitution -- Islam the official religion and Arabic the official language."

  Pray for a free and democratic vote in this referendum. Pray that international governments will encourage Sudanese leadership to hear and accept the voice of their people. Pray that Christians throughout Sudan will continue to entrust themselves to Christ and preach the gospel boldly, knowing Jesus is the ruler over the kings of the earth (2 Timothy 1:7-12, Revelation 1:5). Pray that many more people will come to know Christ as Lord in Sudan. Pray for true and lasting peace in the country.

  To learn more about the trials facing Sudanese Christians, visit the country report at theSudan Country Report.

• Christians under attack

  Followers of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir have intensified attacks on Christians and others they believe support the International Criminal Court's recent decision to prosecute the president for atrocities in the Darfur region.

  According to an April 8 report from Compass Direct, Aburahaman Tai, a leader of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in the Nuba Mountains village of Chat, central Sudan, was beaten and injured by a suspected government militia in early March. On March 27, the building used by Tai's congregation and the Sudanese Church of Christ was set on fire by the same group, which reportedly supports an Islamist agenda. Church members fled the scene in fear for their lives. Tai's congregation has since been meeting for worship outdoors.

  In Dungala, the capital of Northern state, a church building was recently turned into a mosque and some believers were forcibly converted to Islam.

  Pray that Christians in Sudan will remain steadfast in their faith at all cost. Ask God to grant boldness and wisdom to the Christian leaders in this war-torn country.

  For more information on the persecution facing Christians in Sudan, go to theSudan Country Report.

• Evangelists Killed in Sudan

  One Egyptian and three Sudanese Christians were killed when two men opened fire on a truck carrying fourteen foreign Christians and several local Sudanese believers from an evangelistic meeting in Sudan's Nuba Mountains region on the evening of April 27. At least five others were injured. According to a May 2 report from Compass Direct, the meeting in the village of Gnaya had been organized by the Bahry Evangelical Church in Khartoum. They were returning to the town of Torogi when they encountered a makeshift roadblock. When they refused to stop, gunmen opened fire.

  The reasons for the attack are uncertain. However, Barnaba Timothous, evangelism coordinator at the Bahry Evangelical Church, suspects the attackers were Muslims upset about their evangelistic work in the area.

  Pray that those injured in this attack will fully recover. Pray that those who heard the Gospel that night will respond to the message in faith. Pray for peace and comfort for those who mourn the loss of their loved ones.

  For more information on persecution of Christians in Sudan,click here. The Voice of the Martyrs Canada is involved in supporting Christians who have been suffering in Sudan. A video report on one such project is available at www.vomcanada.com/archives.html.

• Presbyterian Church of Sudan Appeals Lawsuit Dismissal

  The Presbyterian Church of Sudan, with support from a variety of Western advocacy groups, has decided to appeal the September 2006 American court decision which dismissed its lawsuit against Canadian company Talisman Energy.

  The New York judge dismissed the charges because, she alleged, the Sudanese church failed to prove that Talisman was responsible for the acts of violence against the people of southern Sudan (for details, click here). The church, along with various international observers, argues that Talisman worked on consort with the Islamic Sudanese government in bombings and killings that displaced thousands of people in the area where oil exploration was taking place. Those living in southern Sudan are mainly Christian and animist.

• Suit Against Talisman Energy Dismissed

  Yesterday (September 12), a U.S. judge dismissed the lawsuit against Canadian petroleum company, Talisman Energy which accused it of human rights violations in Sudan. From 1998 through 2003, Talisman was a 25% owner of the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company.  U.S District Judge Denise Cote ruled in New York that the plaintiffs, who included the Presbyterian Church of Sudan, had failed to locate sufficient admissible evidence that the Talisman has violated international law in order to proceed to trial. She noted that the plaintiff's ability to gather evidence had been "severely frustrated" by the lack of cooperation form the Sudanese government.  The government of Sudan had also been sued but had ignored the case filed in 2001 under the U.S. Alien Tort Claims Act on behalf of as many as 250,000 non-Muslim Sudanese.  The case had alleged that churches had been deliberately bombed, church leaders killed and villagers killed and depopulated in order to make way for oil exploration. The plaintiffs have thirty days to appeal the ruling.

  Glenn Penner, spokesman for The Voice of the Martyrs, commenting on the ruling said, "The blood of Sudanese Christians continues to cry out for justice. Unfortunately, it is increasingly apparent that this justice will be difficult, if not impossible, to be found in the legal courts. This is not to say that it should not be pursued, but I would not be surprised if the legal approach ultimately fails. Talisman and the Sudanese government have shown considerable skill over the years in covering their trail of wrongdoing. As Christians, however, we know God holds society responsible to uphold the rights of the needy and victimized and when they fail to do so, He will not turn His back. Ultimately, justice will be served even if we may not see it in this life.  Those responsible for the genocide in Sudan may feel that they have been reprieved. They have not."

  The Voice of the Martyrs in Canada is active in rebuilding the life and witness of Sudan's Christians in southern Sudan.  A video report on our work in helping to rebuilding the Nugent School in Loka, South Sudan can be found on our multimedia website www.vomcanada.com.

  For more information facing the Christians of Sudan,click here.

• Kidnapping Charges Dropped

  All Saints' Cathedral and Reverend Elia Kumundan Pictures fromEpiscopal Church of Sudan

  An Anglican priest and five others arrested on kidnapping charges (click here for the details) have been released after the "kidnapping victim" turned herself in to the police. According to a May 23 report from Compass Direct, Shiraz Feteh Rahman Bellula had apparently gone into hiding in March to escape the physical abuse she suffered from her family for converting to Christianity. When the family did not know where she was, Reverend Elia Kumundan and five others were accused of kidnapping.  Shiraz came out of hiding after reading of the charges in the newspaper.

  After becoming a Christian, Shiraz was beaten by her brother and her Bible was burned.  She came to Reverend Kumundan looking for protection but he was unable to offer a safe place for her to stay. She then went to other churches looking for help. Two months ago, Bellula went into hiding after being beaten by her brother again. Her family has been forced to sign a statement that they would not mistreat her, but such a document will not guarantee her safety.

  Praise the Lord that the charges have been dropped. Pray for protection for Shiraz.

• Priest Arrested on Kidnapping Charges

  All Saints' Cathedral and Reverend Elia Kumundan Pictures fromEpiscopal Church of Sudan

  A Sudanese Anglican priest has been arrested on charges of kidnapping a woman who came to him wanting to convert from Islam, according to a May 15 report from Reuters.  Reverend Elia Kumundan and at least four other Christians were arrested on May 14 following the disappearance of the 23-year-old woman in March.  The authorities believe that the church helped the woman to either hide or to leave the country.

  Apostasy is a controversial issue in Sudan. Some Muslim leaders demand that it be punished with death, while others support the 2005 constitution that promises freedom of religion. One church leader recounted how many Christians have been forced into hiding in fear of death. Authorities regularly harass and threaten Christians but are careful to avoid any indication that the harassment is for religious reasons.

  Pray that religious freedom will truly be practiced in Sudan. Pray that the charges against Reverend Kumundan will be dropped.  Pray that God will give him the words to say to his accusers.

  For more information on the persecution of Christians in Sudan,click here. The Voice of the Martyrs is helping to rebuild southern Sudan following the devastating civil war.  A video report is available on our multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com.

• Update: Violence Subsiding

  The violence following the death of Sudanese Vice-President John Garang (click here for details) appears to have subsided in recent days.  While the official death toll stands at approximately 130, some reports say as many as 400 were killed. The death toll climbed as mobs of Arab Muslims raided Christian areas of Khartoum in retaliation for riots by southern Sudanese youth.  Pray that the violence will completely cease and that Dr. Garang's dream of peace for Sudan will be realized.

• Update: Talisman Accused of Cover-Up

  Ian Taylor, Former Talisman Employee

  The lawsuit by the Presbyterian Church of Sudan against Talisman Energy, a Canadian oil company, has taken a further twist.  A sworn statement of a former Talisman employee claims that the oil company deliberately destroyed evidence of human rights abuses, allowed its airfields to be used by the Sudanese military in attacks against the south.  The statement also claims that the company masqueraded security advisers as community development officers.  Ian Taylor, Talisman's former manager of community development in Sudan, gave the sworn statement in September 2001.  Tragically, he died of a heart attack last fall.  In his statement, he wrote "I feel a deep sense of shame for not realizing Talisman's true objective earlier than I did and I experience daily nightmares based on fear for my eternal soul for the role I have played in the murder, starvation and displacement of the southern Sudanese people." 

  An Ontario Superior Court justice has also ordered Taylor's family to turn over all of Ian's correspondence and documents that might shed light on the case. While the lawsuit has been filed in New York, the Taylors live in Canada, which is why the church requested the involvement of the Ontario judge.  The family only hesitated to release the documents until receiving a court order due to concerns of retribution from Talisman.  The ruling can be viewed online.