Because of the ongoing conflict in South Sudan, all seven of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission co-workers remain out of the country, and some but not all leaders of the PC(USA)’s partner churches there have left as well.
The country has remained volatile since mid-December, when a dispute broke out between President Salva Kiir and former vice-president, Riek Machar, whom Kiir had dismissed in July, along with the rest of the cabinet, and who he accused of attempting a coup.
That dispute has led to weeks of fighting, with humanitarian officials estimating that about 413,000 people have been internally displaced; 66,500 are seeking refuge at United Nations bases; and more than 74,000 have fled as refugees to nearby countries, said Ryan Smith who serves as the Presbyterian representative to the United Nations, and was one of the speakers on a webinar that PC(USA) World Mission held Jan. 14 to discuss the denomination’s response to the unrest in South Sudan.
The Sudanese civil war, which resulted in a peace agreement signed in 2005 and the creation of South Sudan as an independent state in 2011, came after decades of fighting, said Debbie Braaksma, who served as a mission-coworker in Africa for years and now is the PC(USA)’s Africa area coordinator. “At its heart, the civil war was about politics,” including “hunger for oil and control of the Nile (River),” she said. “In short, it was a war about power and greed.”
Leaders of the PC(USA)’s partner churches in South Sudan are attempting to continue caring for citizens who aren’t able to leave or chose not to, said Michael Weller, the PC(USA)’s regional liaison for Ethiopia, Sudan and South Sudan. He spoke several days ago to the moderator of the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan, who said “I will stay and shepherd the people who cannot leave” the city of Malakal, where fighting is reported.
The focus of the ministry now is “day-to-day healing to cope with the trauma,” Weller said.
How can Presbyterians in the U.S. help?
For now, church partners in South Sudan are asking for prayer – for those who are displaced and forced from their homes; for those who have suffered violence; for those trying to help mediate an end to the fighting.
The Sudan Advocacy Action Forum is working to support peacemaking efforts in the region and to connect Presbyterians and congregations involved with that work.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) will work through the church partners and through the World Council of Churches to provide humanitarian assistance. PDA has established a designated fund for South Sudan relief.
Braaksma also said that a recording of the webinar will be placed soon on the PC(USA) website and on PC(USA) World Mission’s page on Facebook.
