As Sudan’s wanted President Omar al-Bashir said that he would not remove his Khartoum troops from the disputed oil-producing Abyei region, church and world leaders are insisting that advocacy for the war-torn south and for a lasting peace must continue.
“It seems only a little while ago that we were ratcheting up our advocacy with our government and other friends of the international community to ensure a safe and timely referendum,” said Richard Parkins, executive director of the American Friends of the Episcopal Church of Sudan (AFRECS), referring to the historic January plebiscite when southerners voted almost unanimously to secede from the Islamic north.
“Those efforts were largely successful, but the case for advocacy remains compelling,” he added. “As Abyei becomes a target for Khartoum’s military thrust and as other border areas experience harassment and violence, the quest for peace and stability for the new South Sudan and protection for Christians in the north remains an urgent goal.”
Al-Bashir’s army seized Abyei after southern troops reportedly ambushed a convoy of northern forces, killing some 22 people. For several months, the north has been accused of burning and looting villages in Abyei.
Lise Grande, a senior U.N. aid official, said May 25 that the violence in and around Abyei has driven up to 40,000 people from their homes.
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice held talks in the South Sudan capital Juba on May 24 and warned of the “grave humanitarian consequences” of the seizure of Abyei town, according to reports.
“Sudanese forces attacked Abyei town on Saturday [May 21] at around 8 p.m. The whole town was completely set on fire and approximately 20,000 people fled towards the bush and towns in Warrap state,” an unnamed local church leader said according to a report from Laura Payne of the Anglican Alliance on Development, Relief and Advocacy. “The situation on the ground is worsening. Displaced people and children are seriously affected living under trees in Agok. Civilians are down on streets and in bushes, no food, no shelter, no water and no medical assistance.”
The majority of people in the region – including children, the sick and elderly – are still living under trees, the church leader said. “People with communicable diseases are forced to sleep together with healthy people. We are now calling for urgent support for civilians, who are lying on the ground without medical attention, shelter, food and water. We are left no choice but to raise the voice of the voiceless for relief assistance.”
Sally Keeble, director of the Anglican Alliance, suggests that people wishing to advocate on behalf of those affected by the recent unrest in Abyei should contact their countries’ government departments responsible for foreign affairs and international aid. “Ask them, preferably by e-mail, to press for an end to the violence and to support appeals for emergency relief for the victims of this conflict,” she said. “Then contact your own elected representative where you live and ask them to raise the issue publically and with government.”
The Rev. Petero Sabune, the Episcopal Church’s Africa partnership officer, warned that war in Abyei would cause conflict not only in Sudan but in neighboring countries such as the Congo, Uganda and throughout the Great Lakes Region.
Sabune highlighted the impact made by an October 2010 advocacy visit by Sudanese religious leaders to the U.S. and the U.N. “We galvanized the religious community to pray, study and act in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Sudan,” he said. “[But] now is not the time to rest on our laurels and pat ourselves on the back.”
South Sudan is set to become Africa’s newest nation on July 9, yet several issues still remain unresolved, such as the sharing of oil revenues and border demarcation between the north and the south.
A separate referendum that was to be held in Abyei in January was delayed indefinitely due to military tensions and differences between the north and south concerning voter eligibility.
Meanwhile, al-Bashir continues to evade an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity in the Darfur region of western Sudan.