Sudan

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Official name:
Area:
Government:
Official languages:
Monetary unit:
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DEMOGRAPHY
Population: 40 million
Population density:

ECONOMY
GDP (PPP):
per person:
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LIFE & LIBERTY
HDI

Contents

[edit] Geography

[edit] Location

  • Sudan is the largest country on the African continent with lands ranging from predominantly desert in the north, to tropical bush in the south, and grasslands and mountains in between.

[edit] Region

[edit] Climate

[edit] Natural Resources

  • Oil was discovered in the south by the Chevron Oil Company in 1979.
  • A vast cotton growing region near the border with Ethiopoia [now Eritrea] was created in the 1920's under British administration by damming the Atbara river and creating irrigation projects.
  • One open pit gold mine is located in the Nubian desert.

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Peoples

  • There are people groups who still have no one to tell them about Jesus. Millions of people who would respond to Christ if they only knew. There is a need for people who are willing and equipped to go.
  • Approximately 40 million people live here, and they are divided ethnically with primarily Arabs occupying the north and black Africans residing in the south. Within these two areas are six hundred different ethnic groups speaking a hundred different languages.
There may be about 500 000 Bari people and they occupy most of Bahr El Jebel (Central Equatoria) State on both banks of the Nile. They also regard Juba as being theirs! They are a cattle-herding and agricultural people, who speak a Nilotic language. They comprise of several distinct groups who speak slightly different dialects and sometimes regard themselves as completely separate tribes, namely Bari, Kuku, Nyangbara, Pojulu and Nyepu. Many Bari people belong to churches, primarily the Episcopal Church and the Catholic Church, but for many Christianity is only a nominal form of religion. The Bible was published in Bari in 1979, but there is very little other literature in Bari.
Kakwa - There are about 40 000 Kakwa in Sudan. They live along the border where Sudan, Uganda and Congo meet, and there are also Kakwa across the border in these other countries. They are agriculturalists and keep a few cattle. They speak a Nilotic language, which some linguists consider to be a dialect of Bari. There are many Christians among them, but also many followers of traditional religion. The Bible was published in Kakwa in 1983, but it was translated in Uganda and so many Kakwa in Sudan prefer to use the Bari Bible.
cluster Arab, Sudan
Aka
Beja
Birked, unreached, no radio program or Jesus Film
Daju, (Population: 134,000), The five Daju groups make up some of the oldest communities in western Sudan and eastern Chad. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the Daju migrated from the East and established rule over a number of tribes in the Darfur region of Sudan. In the 16th century this dynasty was overthrown. The Daju King then escaped and set up a small kingdom in the Dar Sila region of Chad. Today, some of the Dar Sila have moved back into Sudan. The Daju in Chad call themselves “Daju Sila,” and those in Sudan call themselves “Fininga.” Some of the other groups are either named after the regions they occupy or after the distinct dialects of Daju they speak. Daju is an Eastern Sudanic language. Young Daju children attend village classes where they are taught to chant the Koran in Arabic. Consequently, most of them grow up bilingual.
Dar Hamad, (590,000) People cluster: Arab, Sudan, lihat profil http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Dar_Hamid .
Fa-c-Aka, Aka - Lord, anoint those working with the Fa-c-Aka, Aka of Sudan with wisdom and insight to reach out to the poor and needy. Enable them to put Your truth in a form that can be easily understood. Anoint their words with power to penetrate hearts. Open the ears of those who hear, and make the Good news of Your son Jesus, real to them. Lord, Your heart is near to the poor and oppressed, anoint Your servants, to represent you as Lord and Savior of the Fa-c-Aka, Aka of Sudan.
Fur people who have immigrated to Shendi, fleeing the conflict in Dar Fur.
Gawamaa
Gezira Arabs: The Gezera Arabs are a cluster of Arab tribes that live in the Gezera region of Sudan. This region is located south of Khartoum between the White Nile and the Blue Nile.
Ghulfan, Cluster Nuba Mountains
Guhayna: The 1.3 million Guhayna are a largely nomadic people living in Central Sudan. Not much is known about this people group other than that they are Sudanese Arabs who trace their heritage to the Bedouin who wandered the deserts of Saudi Arabia centuries ago. The Guhayna embrace rigid codes of honour, loyalty and hospitality, the strong role of men in society, the value of children, subservience of women and the five pillars of Islam. To confess Jesus as Lord is not well accepted and has serious consequences. Pray that fear of persecution from Islamic relatives will not hinder the Guhayna as they consider the Gospel. No one is actively reaching this people group. Pray for missionaries and funds so the Guhayna can hear about Jesus. See for more details Guhayna
Gule
Hausa Ajawa - Mission Manual Hausa
Ja'alayin - they live in Shendi, they are agriculturalists. The Ja’alayin (or Ja’aliyin) is an Arab tribe originally from an area north of Khartoum between Shendi and Atbara. The Ja’alayin people are known for their hospitality. No one leaves a Ja’ali’s house hungry. Yet, they hunger for the Word of God. John 6:35: “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.” There are very few believers among the Ja’alayin.
Jur Modo
Keliko:There are about 10 000 people living on the Sudan side of the Congo border of Bahr El Jebel State (Central Equatoria), and perhaps the same number in Congo. They are a farming people living on the edge of the forests and speaking a Central Sudanese language. There are Christians among them and they are eager to have the Bible in their language. They have a translation and literacy project that has so far produced one gospel and a good quantity of literacy materials.
Komo - I know it is not Your will that any should perish, so I lift up the Komo to You now. I ask You Lord of the harvest to send forth workers into the harvest field of the Komo of Sudan. Stir the hearts of Your people Lord. Call to them as they pray, as they sleep, as they worship. Agitate them, and shake them free from whatever holds them back. Lord I ask that You would commission a fresh workforce for the Komo, that Your name might be glorified in their midst.
Kuruan
Lawahin - The numerous Baggara tribes of northern Sudan share many cultural characteristics and claim a common ancestry. All of them speak an Arabic dialect known as Baggari that can be understood by both Arabic and Sudanese Arabic speakers. Their name comes from the Arabic word bagar, which means "cow," and refers to the various Arab tribes in Sudan (and surrounding nations), who herd cattle. These Baggara tribes live in the plains of Sudan's Darfur, North Kordofan, and South Kordofan provinces. The region is well suited for grazing cattle and varies from sparse scrub lands in the northern areas to arid and semi-arid wilderness lands to wooded fields. It only rains during the wet season, primarily from June to September.
  • On August 2, 2009, members of the Murle ethnic group of Sudan surrounded a fishing village of the Lou Nuer in the southern part of the nation during the hours before dawn and opened fire with guns. Afterwards, they entered the village with spears to “finish the job.” The death toll was l85 – most of them women and children. The l85 people were gunned down and speared mercilessly by the Murle belonged to the rival Lou Nuer group. The incident was one of the most deadly since the civil war between North and South Sudan ended four years ago. Unfortunately, ethnic violence has become more and more common in the region. The Murle raid was merely another event in an escalating series of violence. More than 700 have died this year in conflicts between these two groups. A military unit had been dispatched to guard the Lou Nuer as they fished. But the soldiers were taken by surprise and could not fend off the gunmen. Eleven of the soldiers died in the massacre.
“We cannot sit back and let our enemies knock us down,” one man told reporters. “If they kill us, we will kill them.”
PRAY:
God to arise and intervene in this ongoing conflict. Pray for His enemies to be scattered and for His Hand of protection to rest on the innocent. (The Bible, Psalm 7:6)
The God of all comfort to comfort those who have lost family members in the violence and have been forced to flee from their homes. Pray for His provision to be poured out upon them. (The Bible, II Corinthians 1:3,4)
The spirits of rage, bloodlust, vengeance and destruction to be bound and cast down a His blood He shed on the cross. (The Bible, Romans 12:19)
Christians to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty Power. Pray for them to continue to boldly proclaim the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (The Bible, Ephesians 6:10)
The Lou Nuer, Murle, and every other ethnic group in Sudan to be captured by the love of God – rescued from the darkness of the enemy and drawn into a personal relationship with His Son. (The Bible, Colossians 1:13)
  • The Baggara have traced their origin back several centuries to the days before Mohammed. They claim to be connected to the Juhayna of the Hejaz (region of northwestern Saudi Arabia). Over the centuries, they have become widely scattered across the plains of North Central Africa. Different groups tend to be concentrated in certain regions, but there are no purely Baggara areas. Most of the Baggara are herdsmen. Their herds are comprised primarily of cattle, although they do raise a few sheep and goats. Camels are kept for riding and as pack animals. The nomadic Baggara live in camp units called furgan. Members of the furgan generally belong to one or more family line. The Baggara live in simple, dome-shaped tents, which are portable structures that can be easily packed and moved with the herds. The tents are built by placing saplings into holes in the ground, then bending them over and tying them at the top. Smaller branches are tied into the frame, then covered with thatch or canvas mats. The tents are arranged in a circle, into which the cattle are brought for the night. Although most Baggara tribes are nomadic, there are some that live in farming communities or towns. Their houses are built of mud bricks and have thatched roofs. Corrals for the young animals are built inside the compounds. Grazing land is usually shared, but farm land is owned individually. The Baggara are somewhat unusual in that the women work to provide the income needed to maintain the households. They earn cash by milking the cows and selling the milk or milk products. Their earnings are either kept or spent on household items. A married woman owns the tent as well as all of its housekeeping contents. The men are primarily involved with caring for the herds. They also plant and harvest the crops. Baggara marriages are often polygamous. If a man has two wives, one may live in a pastoral camp, while the other lives in a farming village. Cross cousin marriages are preferred. A "bride price" is provided by the future husband and his near relatives. Part of this money is used to purchase household items, while some of it is used to buy food for the marriage celebration that takes place in the bride's camp. After the wedding, the newlyweds live near the bride's parents. Later, they move to a place chosen by the husband. On this occasion, the groom's family provides another feast. Baggara society is patrilineal, which means that the line of descent is traced through the males. Traditionally each camp is headed by a male leader called shaykh. Although this position is generally inherited, all of the adult male members of a camp must agree on the man who is to fill the position. The shaykh does not rule the camp, but rather acts as the spokesperson for the decision-making males of the camp. However, he may also have a considerable amount of influence, depending on his wisdom and economic status.
  • What are their beliefs? The Baggara tribes are virtually 100% Muslim. Eight of the groups are Sunnis, while the others belong to the Malikite sect. All of them faithfully observe the "five pillars of Islam." Many of the men and some of the women are able to make pilgrimages to Mecca. The Baggara hold various religious celebrations and also place importance on many life stage transitions.
  • What are their needs? Very little evangelization has been done among the Baggara tribes. Portions of the Bible have been translated into their language, and some Christian broadcasts are also available to them. However, because the people are so devoted to the Islamic faith, very few Baggara have converted to follow Jesus. In addition, the nomadic lifestyle of many of the Baggara makes it very difficult for missionaries to reach them. There is a great need for qualified laborers to live and work among these Muslims. Concentrated prayer and evangelism efforts are necessary in order to penetrate their hearts with the Gospel.
Lou Nuer - South
Mandala
Masakin, Dayik
Masalit in Dafur/Sudan (195,000) - people cluster Ouaddai-Fur. A good part of the Masalit people have fled to Chad and now located in Hadjar Hadid, where one of the biggest refugee camps for these people from Darfur is situated. Christians like to minister to them.
Medani live in Shendi, Gadaref, Nyala, El Fasher, Geneina, El Obeid, Port Sudan, Kassala, and Wad.
Miserriya nomads
Murle - South
Lafofa (700)
Olu’bo: There are about 15 000 Olu’bo people living just north of the Ma’di, on the border of Bahr El Jebel State (Central Equatoria) and Eastern Equatoria State. They are a farming and pastoral people who speak a Central Sudanese language. Some of them follow their traditional religion and there are some Christians. However, because they are only a small group they tend to be dominated by their neighbours, the Bari, and in the past they had to learn to read in Bari even though it is a very different language. In recent years some Olu’bo have started writing the language and they have produced a few literacy materials. They wanted to start a Bible translation project, but it failed because there was no funding and the few educated people who could have done the work became involved in other things.
Rashaida
Shaikiya - People Cluster Arab, Sudan - is an Arab tribe who is originally from an area Northwest of Khartoum, they live in Shendi.
Tama in Sudan (57,000)
The Toposa of Southern Sudan (member of the People Cluster Nilotic) are a people group of about 750,000 but less than 2% have ever heard of Jesus. Pastoralists feared by their neighbors due to their skill at cattle raiding and war, they believe in a Supreme God but worship and offer sacrifices to the spirits of their departed ancestors through shamans. Less than 5% are literate. Pray God’s kingdom comes among the Toposa. They need the good news of Jesus! Will you stand in the gap for them?
Tulishi, Kandangi
Here are the names of the 14 unreached, unengaged people groups with populations of more than 100 000 in Sudan:
1. Batahin, http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Batahin
2. Birkid, Murgi
3. Dar Hamid, http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Dar_Hamid
4. Fezara, http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Fezara
5. Fulakunda
6. Gimma, http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Gimma
7. Husseinat
8. Lahawin, http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Lahawin
9. Maghrebi Arab
10. Nobiin, http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Nobiin
11. Rizeigat, http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Rizeigat
12. Rufaa, http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Rufaa%2C_Rufaiyin
13. Sheferi
14. Yazeed, What a blessing it is to read Your truth in Your Word. We pray, Lord that you would provide that same blessing to the Yazeed. We ask that you would accelerate the translation process of Your Word for their language. We bless those who are working on this in Jesus name. We ask that You would help to get Your Word out to the Yazeed. http://en.etnopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Yazeed
Many more peoples, no profil with details exist, but they need intercession, too: Acheron, Ditti Afitti, Ageer, Aja, Togbo-Vara Banda, Baygo, Bisharin Beja, Berti, Bideyat, Birked, Thaminyi Dair, Wei Debri, Warki Delen, El Hugeirat, Nding Eliri, Aka Fa-c-Aka, Gele Fongoro, Sudanese Fulani, Ko Fungor, Forok Fur, Kithonirishe Garko, Guhayna, Gulud, Beja Hadendoa, Husseinat, Kadaru, Fezara Kawahia, Jirru Keiga, Lafofa, Liguri Logorif, Lomon, Manasir, Mandala, Dagik Masakin, Malkan Molo, Moro Hills, Njalgulgule, Rubatab, Sebei, Tunjur Sokoro, Somali, Tennet, Lomorik Tima, Lajakja Tingal, Teda Tubu, Tukam, Kamdang Tulishi, Sangali Tumma, Tungur, Turkana, Turum, Umm Heitan, Wali, Arabized Wali, Werni Warnang.

[edit] Language

[edit] Provinces

Abyei
Jonglei State - South
Northern Darfur
Nuba Mountains - Praise the Lord for the peace that came back to the Nuba Mountains. For many it has been the first time going back to their homeland after more than 15 years.
Southern Blue Nile
  • Region - Dafur in the western part of Sudan.
  • Sudan is a large country and therefore divided into different geographical or political areas. The so-called contention areas lie between North and South Sudan and consist of Abyei, the Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile. These areas derive their name (contention areas) from the fact that it falls geographically between two different border lines that were drawn at different times between North and South Sudan. The original border line was shifted downwards in colonial days by the colonial authorities, thereby expanding the territory of North Sudan.
  • At present South Sudanese claim that the original border must be taken as the historically correct one whereas North Sudanese state that the new border must be accepted in the discussions about possible separation in 2011. No clear agreement could be reach during peace talks leading up to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in January 2005. For this reason the following arrangement was made: prior to the election in 2011 (when Sudanese citizens will vote for unification or separation) the three contention areas must indicate whether they want to belong to North or South Sudan. Should separation take place each contention area will be included in the country of their choice, namely the New North Sudan or the New South Sudan.
  • Since all three areas are strategic in terms of the oil industry in Sudan, both North and South Sudan desire to get hold of these areas. This place Abyei, the Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile in an unenviable position. Whatever decision they make, they are going to make themselves unpopular with either North or South Sudan. If separation does not take place they may be targeted by the group they voted not to join and this can make the lives of the people living there very hard.
  • The peace was signed in January 2005 and is already becoming fragile. So how long will it last? But we have a mighty God who is sovereign over all of Sudan and with Him nothing is impossible.
  • Sudan is the land of the biblical Cush. Let's claim the beautiful prophecy given to Zephaniah that: "From beyond the rivers of Cush, my worshippers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings." Zephaniah 3:10
Khartoum, capital of the country, 7 - 10 million. Most Christians in Khartoum are from the South. Thousands of Christians from the Nuba Mountains live in Khartoum, the capital. They were forced to go there and live because of the war that was going on during the last 20 years. Most of the people from the Nuba Mountains speak very good Arabic and for some of them it became like a second mother tongue. Different teachings were given to many different people to train them how to share the Good News among Muslims. The people are very open and want to learn how to reach out in a better way. Recently different teams were formed by a church to reach out to Muslims in Khartoum, the capital. Pray that the Lord will use these people to share the Good News with the Arabs in the capital. Pray that many will practice what they have learnt.
Juba, capital of Southern Sudan, about 200,000
JUBA IS EXCELLENT! A young evangelist preaching and teaching the Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) around Juba, south Sudan writes, "I have established four Army Christian Fellowships. I have received order from high commanders to teach the soldiers, because the word of God is only word that can change a life from hostility to peaceful life. Some of the commanders say that most of the soldiers drink a lot of beer, which cause problems in camps/barracks. In the last two years I have seen a great change in these camps, many soldiers been delivered for drunkenness and healing take place. Surely as the word of God says “the word that proceed out of my mouth will not return empty but will accomplish”."
El Obeid: Nestled towards the geographical centre of Kordofan, El Obeid is one of the larger cities of Sudan.
Kassala, 300,000 is in the east, bordering Eritrea
Port Sudan is the only significant port for the whole country, but has only one hotel with a website.
Shendi is located on the east side of the Nile River about 3 hours north of Khartoum. The population of Shendi is approximately 64 000. However, there are a large number of villages surrounding Shendi where the population swells to approximately 292 000 people. Its proximity to Khartoum enables many to commute from Shendi to Khartoum for work. The Ja'alayin and Shagiya are the 2 main tribes resident in the city. However, some Fur people have immigrated to Shendi, fleeing the conflict in Dar Fur.
El Fasher: The name of the capital city of Northern Darfur, El Fasher, means ‘courtyard of the royal palace’. Today an important market town and home to 160 000 people, El Fasher was the seat of the powerful Fur Sultanate from the 18th century until 1916. Despite the war and the evening curfew, the town is still bustling with people from many different tribes. Although the city has been spared major attacks, security remains a constant concern for locals as well as for the many aid workers. Like other towns in Darfur, Folk Islam dominates the religious climate of El Fasher. However, since the escalation of the war, a new spiritual hunger is rising. A number of sheikhs have started to follow Isa al Masih and are eager to be taught more, as well as pass the message on to their own people in the surrounding districts. Other individual believers from different tribes inside El Fasher are in need of discipleship too.

[edit] Life

Sudan air crash remains a mystery

  • 10 June 2008: Air accident investigators are still trying to discover what caused an airliner to skid off a runway and burst into flames on landing in Khartoum. At least 29 passengers and crew were killed but 171 managed to escape, the Sudan Civil Aviation Authority said. As the wreckage of the Airbus was being examined a fuel tank overheated in the summer sun and exploded, injuring two civil defence workers. The Sudan Airways plane skidded off the runway at Khartoum International Airport and hit navigation poles marking the end of the runway, sparking a fire on the right side of the aircraft. One survivor said the landing was "rough" and there was a sharp impact several minutes later. He said smoke got into the cockpit and some people started opening the emergency exits. Soon, fire engulfed the plane, he said. Passenger Kamal Eddin Mohammed said that "as we landed, the engine burst into flame - I was sitting right next to it. It was horror inside the plane." A sandstorm had earlier hit the area with 20 mph winds and there was a thunderstorm and similar winds at the time of the crash. But there were differing reports on the role weather played.
  • More than a million people in Darfur will go without food rations by May unless new aid agencies are deployed, a joint Sudanese-UN assessment says. Pray that a resolution might be found to current difficulties between President Bashir and the aid agencies so that aid can start flowing again.
  • Monster chopper lifts food in Southern Sudan. The world's biggest helicopter has begun airlifting food aid into a remote part of Southern Sudan after river boats carrying humanitarian aid were attacked while trying to deliver urgently needed World Food Programme supplies. The upsurge in violence in the area has meant that WFP has had to concentrate on providing emergency assistance at a time when it had planned to focus a lot of its work on reconstruction and recovery projects such as road-building and Food for Education.
  • New South Sudan educational institute in Rumbek. The first education institute in Southern Sudan was inaugurated June 26, 2009 in Rumbek, the capital of Lakes state. The institute will be a centre for building more effective education systems and skills for individuals and institutions. and will deliver a number of important services, including professionals training, technical support to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology at all levels and in all educational fields, an education information repository and knowledge centre and clearing house. The institute will be autonomous, operating under its own charter and with its own governance structures, while also maintaining strong links with government bodies.

[edit] Intertribal violence

  • Hundreds dead in South due to intertribal violence. Attacks by the Murle ethnic group on the Lou Nuer ethnic group in Jonglei State in Southern Sudan are a worrisome development, the top UN official in the region warned. What we have seen recently, where we have seen attacks on civilian settlements, not just cattle raiding... is a new dimension that I find worrisome. Armed Murle fighters in remote Akobo County attacked Lou Nuer villages over the weekend of 18 April 2009, according to county commissioner Doyak Chol. As many as 300 were feared killed. "The attacks have been terrible," he told IRIN by satellite phone. "We have 177 counted as dead but there are more unaccounted for... Many `tukuls' [thatch huts] have also been burnt." The scale of violence and the apparently increasing number of attacks on women and children, as well as the targeting of homesteads, is causing concern.
  • Militiamen have killed more than 100 people in an attack in southern Sudan in the latest in a series of ethnic clashes, the military says. UN sources said thousands of armed men from the Lou Nuer ethnic group attacked civilians and security forces in the village of Duk Padiet in Jonglei state. Pray for a cessation of this conflict and that a way might be found to resolve the differences between these two ethnic groups. (September 2009)
  • The recent clashes in the Akobo were the second outbreak of deadly violence between the two ethnic groups in Jonglei State in a month. In March 2009, about 750 people were killed in clashes in Pibor County, further south. The vast and remote region provided a massive challenge to those trying to support peace efforts. "In order to carry out that role, we may need to be configured differently" to provide better protective support if required, Gressly added. (IRIN, 04/21/09)

[edit] Refugees from other countries

  • Eastern Sudan is home to an estimated 130,000 refugees, most of them from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, according to UNHCR. Close to 100,000 of them live in 12 camps where they receive international help. However, poor living conditions and lack of prospects force some, including women and children, to make dangerous journeys, often aided by smugglers, in search of a better life.

[edit] Women in Sudanese society

  • While it is true that Islam tends to be easier on men than on women, it is also true that in Sudanese society women are playing an increasingly visible role. Twenty years ago it was uncommon to see women drivers, now they are everywhere. In the universities the majority of the students are now women. Women are even cracking into the man’s world of politics. Sudanese Muslim women are very diverse. There are liberal Muslims who resent Islam and its teachings and conservative fundamentalists, as well as everything in-between.
  • Sudanese mothers play a crucial role in the family. They are the primary source of influence in children’s lives. Grandmothers are known to be a source of local wisdom and traditional culture. It is in the home that children spend the bulk of their childhood, and in the homes Sudanese mothers have an equal, if not stronger, voice than the men.
  • Prayer Points:
Please pray for Sudanese mothers. They often do not have as much exposure to the gospel as the men. Pray that they will come to Christ and influence their progeny likewise.
Pray for some initiatives that have recently been launched to reach Muslim women. Pray for creativity and protection.
Pray that radio programming and television broadcasting will be developed that are both interesting and convicting to Sudanese mothers and women.

[edit] Economy

  • Traditionally a self-sustaining region, Sudan became an large exporter of cotton to England under British rule after the defeat of the Mahdist forces in 1899. British administration and investment provided advances in health, civil infrastructure and economic development. To accommodate larger ships, Port Sudan opened in 1905, the Blue Nile was dammed, irrigation schemes launched and railways to the coast were constructed.
  • Oil was discovered in the south by the Chevron Oil Company in 1979, and a pipeline to the coast has been built. Exports were limited due to the civil war in the south, and rebel fighting in the east. Peace agreements were signed, in January 2005 with the south, and October 2006 with the Eastern Front. Oil now flows to a refinery on the coast and Chinese ships carry oil every day from a port that has been built in the duty free zone south of Port Sudan. Oil extraction costs are about $50-60/bbl, but the world price in late 2008 and early 2009 were less than that so expected income for Sudan has dropped significantly.
  • Chinese money paid for a $79 million dollar rehabilitation of Port Sudan in the early 2000's. With mechanization of the harbour for container ships to access new docks, over 20,000 stevedores were put out of work.
  • A 9km wide dam across the Nile River at Merowe is planned for completion in 2009, and when power generation is fully operational, the electricity generated in Sudan will double to about 20,000 kwh. Power lines will extend eastward to Port Sudan, and southward to Khartoum. Power went online in March 2009. A new highway was opened in April 2008 from Port Sudan to Atbara on the Nile.
  • Until oil exports began, agricultural products such as dates, cotton and gum arabic were the main source of foreign income. Camels are exported to Egypt.
  • In both the east and the west, nomadic tribes regularly have conflict with farmers, and traditional methods of resolving competing demands for limited pasture resources are becoming less workable.

[edit] Government

  • Sudan’s recent civil war resulted in peace for the south, bringing an opportunity to rebuild its devastated infrastructure. Christians need major help in rebuilding this region, such as support for schooling for refugees, medical assistance, training, rebuilding, and aid for those in strife-torn Darfur.
  • Violence in Darfur is devastating. The conflict began when rebels rose against the Khartoum government, complaining of economic and political marginalization. The government provided arms to small militias, now known as the Janjaweed, to crush the rebellion. The Janjaweed are a militia that have become notorious for racist rhetoric, massacre, rape, and forced displacement. At least tens of thousands have died; international figures project hundreds of thousands. There are more than 3.5 million people in Darfur who are completely reliant on international aid. Tragically, over two million more have been displaced as a result of the fighting and are now living in sprawling camps in Darfur and in neighboring Chad.
  • Sudan has blocked peacekeeping patrols in Darfur on 42 separate occasions this year, 2009, the UN says, and therefore is violating previously made agreements. A diplomat told the BBC that the government and rebel groups are getting ready to renew hostilities. Pray that these plans and schemes may be thwarted and that the unsteady peace may prevail.
  • Abyei is a volatile region jointly claimed by South and North Sudan. The resumption of heavy fighting between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Army in Abyei has caused total destruction of Abyei town, the dislocation of almost 100,000 residents, and fears of further breakdown of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Widespread looting and destruction by SAF soldiers has been reported by UN, South Sudanese, and NGO observers. This conflict could lead to resumption of full scale armed conflict between the Government of Sudan and the people of Southern Sudan. The Government of Sudan's National Congress Party (NCP), willfully or otherwise, set the stage for this conflict by its recent unilateral rejection of the findings of the Abyei Border Commission, which the NCP earlier had agreed to accept under the CPA. This, along with other CPA implementation shortfalls, has led some observers to conclude that the NCP will not meet its commitments under the CPA. The obvious action to defuse the current situation is for both the SAF and SPLA to depart from Abyei and place a significant UN force (taken from the deployed UNAMID forces) in the region to maintain order. The longer term peace will be assured only if the international community places the same diplomatic focus on implementation of the CPA that it devoted to the establishment of the CPA.
  • June 08: The Bible Skills Institutes in the Sudan was started immediately after the peace accord was sign between the Muslim North and Christian South. But after three years there has never been agreement on the border between the two. There has been no agreement on the border or administration of Abyei, which supplies around half of the country's 500,000 barrels of oil a day. The Sudan is China's big supplier of oil and China is Northern Sudan's big supplier of weapons. One thousand North Sudan Muslim troops are on their way from Khartoum to the disputed town of Abyei. This confrontation threatens the dozens of schools we have in the Sudan and to expansion. The leaders of the schools to be prepared to bury the equipment or to move it out of the country. After three years of rebuilding the Southern Sudan where 1.5 million were killed, and the infrastructure destroyed, this is a sad development that calls for prayers across the Christian world.
  • June 08. The Abyei Road Map. Due to objections by the National Congress Party (NCP), the Abyei Protocol of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 was not implemented, but hope now arises that a peaceful settlement is possible as a result of the road map signed last week by the NCP and the SPLM. The parties have committed to allowing the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) freedom of movement in Abyei for the first time. The road map also calls for the establishment of an interim administration for the disputed area and an orderly return of the displaced to their villages and towns by the end of this month.*
  • Sudan's General Elections: The Comprehensive Peace Agreement which ended the 21 year war between the Government of Sudan and its Southern citizens requires that Presidential and parliamentary elections on national and state levels must be held before July 2009. Recently, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) Secretary-General Pagan Amum warned that the SPLM would not accept any delay in the date of general elections.
  • March 4, 2009, the president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, a major author of the Darfur genocide, was charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court of Justice in the Netherlands. This could have serious repercussions for the several million refugees in Darfur and could negatively affect the existing peace agreement between Khartoum and the South as well. There are fears of unrest and a backlash against a joint African Union-UN peacekeeping force. Pray for the decision to expel many humanitarian aid agencies to be reversed; otherwise hundreds of thousands relying on international food aid could die. Pray that His peace will prevail throughout this largest nation of Africa.
  • Islam claims that its teachings are the absolute truth. But in Islam there is another doctrine, which allows people to tell lies in some circumstances. This is the doctrine of taqiyya. It allows Muslims to tell lies in order to save their lives, or their honour, or their property. It was developed during persecution, but now has become quite normal.
  • The doctrine of taqiyya concerns the making and breaking of treaties. This will clearly affect the situation in Sudan. According to the Islamic rules about warfare, Muslims are allowed only to make temporary peace treaties with non-Muslims. These treaties should last no more than ten years. If, after a while, such a treaty is no longer advantageous to the Muslims, they must break it. This has very clear implications for the country of Sudan. The treaty that the Islamic North signed with the non-Islamic South, cannot be said to be advantageous to the North, for it promises half the oil money and tax revenues to the South and agrees, in some measure, to share power with the South. The peace was signed in January 2005 and is already becoming fragile. So how long will it last? But we have a mighty God who is sovereign over all of Sudan – and with Him nothing is impossible.

[edit] Ceasefire agreement

  • With the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the Justice and Equality Movement and Sudan's president, there is a hope that Darfur will find real peace. Pray that this agreement holds and that the parties make peace work in Darfur.

[edit] Interviewing Sudan's President

  • TIME has an interview with Sudan's President Hassan Omar al-Bashir, who was indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. An interesting read. Interview

[edit] Sudan relief at border decision

  • North and south Sudan say they will accept a ruling by judges in The Hague to award a large oilfield to the north. Dirdeiry Mohamed Ahmed, the head of the northern government delegation, called the decision a victory for consolidating the peace between the north and south. Pray that all the Sudanese people will benefit from this crucial decision.
  • An international court has demarcated the boundaries in Sudan's oil-rich Abyei region. Mediators hope the ruling will allow a lasting peace between north and south Sudan. For the people, the ruling was less about oil, and more about who may govern them in the future.
  • The lands are also home to both the Ngok Dinka people, seen as southerners, and the Misseriya Arabs, regarded as northerners. It seemed the mood was compromise and acceptance, not war. There had been apprehension in Abyei ahead of the announcement, following deadly violence in May 2008 between northern and southern troops that razed the town and forced thousands to flee.
  • Symbolic victory? But there is no doubt the north is jubilant at the court's decision. Under the initial ruling of the Abyei Border Commission, the major oil field at Heglig was part of Abyei. But according to the Permanent Court of Arbitration's verdict, Heglig remains in the north. However some analysts believe the oil reserves will be exhausted relatively soon, giving the north something of a symbolic victory.
  • The north will be happy that a railway town, and an area where mechanised farming is practised, are both outside Abyei. Another issue is grazing rights for the Misseriya Arabs. The ruling allows them to travel through Abyei - though this has lead to tension in the past. Abyei will vote on whether it wants to join the south or the north in 2011 - and Wednesday's ruling, which excludes areas dominated by the Misseriya, makes it more likely the region sides with the south. But Sudanese and others will be watching the reaction to this ruling on the ground very carefully in the next few months, as not everyone will have been pleased by it.
  • Let us rejoice in the Lord, as many prayers are answered. All things work out for good for those that loves the Lord. He expects us to bring this as a testimony and to thank Him as He still cares for the Sudanese.
  • On the fifth anniversary of the signing of a deal ending decades of war between north and south Sudan, US President Barack Obama's special envoy has commended the agreement as the foundation of peace. However, ten charities issued a report warning that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) is in danger of failing, and that Sudan could slide back into war. Pray that the provisions of the CPA may be implemented and that both sides may find a way forward in maintaining the fragile peace.
  • Sudan would accept the south's secession if southerners were to vote for independence in a referendum next year (2011), President Omar al-Bashir has said. Pray that the leaders of the south might make wise choices and recommendations to the people and that a lasting and peaceful solution may be found that enables both regions of the Sudan to develop and prosper in harmony with one another.

[edit] THE NATIONAL POPULATION CENSUS

  • The census conducted in April 2009 is a key requirement for the organization of the mid term elections. There has however been some discontent arising from the SPLM and several other political parties at the way the census was conducted. Questions raised range from insecurity especially in Darfur to lack of accessibility especially in the South due to poor road infrastructure worsened by the rainy season. These factors are said to have been responsible for an inaccurate census results that will impact the elections negatively. This is a potential for dispute after the elections.

[edit] Religion

  • Small seeds were perhaps sown in previous decades when European culture and religion influenced the southern peoples. Today the Christian Church is growing fast there among the many African ethnic groups.
  • In contrast, the northern two-thirds of Sudan are predominantly Islamic and those residents are ruled by Sharia law, where converting from Islam to another religion is considered apostasy. Conversion is punishable by death, although that penalty is rarely carried out. Instead, converts in the North are generally regarded as outcasts by their families and face severe social pressure to recant, and southern Christians who reside in the North suffer from social, educational, and job discrimination. The Constitution, which was implemented in early 1999, does provide freedom of religion for the Sudanese. In practice, however, the Government severely restricts this right and treats Islam as not only the state religion but also the inspiration for the country's laws, institutions, and policies.

[edit] Islam

  • Islam claims that its teachings are the absolute truth. But in Islam there is another doctrine, which allows people to tell lies in some circumstances. This is the doctrine of taqiyya which means dissimulation. It allows Muslims to tell lies in order to save their lives, or their honour, or their property. It was developed during persecution, but now has become quite normal. This doctrine concerns the making and breaking of treaties. This will clearly affect the situation in Sudan. According to the Islamic rules about warfare, Muslims are allowed only to make temporary peace treaties with non-Muslims. These treaties should last no more than ten years. If, after a while, such a treaty is no longer advantageous to the Muslims, they must break it. This has very clear implications for Sudan. The treaty that the Islamic North signed with the non-Islamic South, cannot be said to be advantageous to the North, for it promises half the oil money and tax revenues to the South and agrees, in some measure, to share power with the South.

[edit] Buddhism

[edit] Christianity

[edit] History

  • Did you know that Sudan has a history of an ancient Christian kingdom?
  • The deserts of Northern Sudan were once home to several ancient Christian kingdoms. Along the Nile River in Northern Sudan you still find the ruins of their churches, towns and villages. At least three kingdoms converted to Christianity after a missionary was sent from the Byzantine Empire around 500 AD. The religion spread amongst the leaders and the people. Eventually churches were established in villages throughout the region. Military pressure from Egypt eventually led to a series of agreements that were signed to keep the peace. The Christian kingdoms then entered a period of decline and eventually disappeared by 1500 AD. Sadly today the native people of Northern Sudan are 100% Muslim. There are Christians and churches scattered in the area, but they are mainly made up of Southern Sudanese who fled to the north during the war.

[edit] Churches

  • The Sudanese believers are plagued by a lack of unity. Distrust within the culture, government infiltration of churches for the purposes of searching for converts, tribal conflict and prejudice and many other factors breed disunity and have paralysed many of the believers in Sudan.
  • Often many of these same satanic attacks bleed into the foreign community as well, creating mistrust among Christian workers.
  • The Episcopal Church of Sudan created five new dioceses in 2009. The leadership is biblically orthodox [conservative.]

[edit] Church and State Relations

  • There is supposed to be freedom of religion in Sudan.
  • At least 13 relief organizations have been asked to leave Sudan because President al-Bashir believes these groups were instrumental in providing evidence again him in Darfur. A Matt Parker with Kids Alive International just Parker says, "Obviously that has huge implications on a large number of people. A lot of refugees, a lot of children, [and] the poorest of the poor are going to be affected by this, especially in the Darfur area which has just been ravaged by the affects of war. We will stay as long as we can and plan to complete the building of two more children's homes, despite the uncertainties in Sudan. PRAY that Kids Alive International and other Christian groups will be able to maintain the vital work they are doing for the people of Sudan! Pray that these people will know through God's servants that he cares and loves them.

[edit] Persecution

  • The Christians in the South face very little persecution or discrimination. The Open Doors World Watch List makes a distinction between north and south Sudan, noting that south Sudan does not rank as a region that heavily persecutes Christians.
  • The Sudanese believers have suffered greatly at the hands of the Arabs. Their lands have been stolen. Their relatives have been killed. Yet, some are choosing to say, "We will not hate the Arabs for what they have done. Rather, we will share with them the love of Christ." Jesus said in Matthew 5:44, 'But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you'. These men and women are living examples of this verse.
Pray that God will continue to call out Sudanese believers to form church planting teams.
Pray that the churches will lead the effort of training the people in their congregation to reach out to Muslims.
Pray that the leaders of these congregations will have a growing, unquenchable passion to plant churches among Muslims in Sudan.
  • At this stage there is improvement in Sudan. Until 2005 Sudan was rated in the top 10 persecuted but after 2007 the rating is much lower. There seems to be stronger religous activities all over Sudan and churches do have freedom, but once an individual wants to accept Jesus the rest of his family or even tribe is going to reject him. This why it is important to pray for Open Homes, so that the whole family as a Unity could be saved.

[edit] Mission

  • A consignment of scriptures that were dispatched to Darfur has arrive (Dec. 2007). Some ingenuity was needed to get them through the various hazards, but there is confirmation that they have arrived. Until just recently, Darfur has been one of the most closed regions in sub-Saharan Africa, partly because of the authorities but mainly because the people themselves were very hostile to the Gospel. That has changed and there are significant breakthroughs. Please pray for the new believing communities emerging there.
  • Darfur: 20 years ago a team was stoned, when it tried to distribute Christian literature, now at the same place many came to an Open-air meeting and responded to the message. The suffering during the civil war has made them hungry to hear the message of the Prince of Peace.
  • During the civil war in South Sudan many Christians have lost their Bibles. This year (2008) to NGOs from the United States of America, World-Gospel-Mission and Samaritan's Purse, are planning to distribute 250,000 Bible among the Christians there to replace their lost ones.
  • One of the great resources for harvest in Sudan is the Ethiopian/Eritrean refugees and immigrants. Some of these precious Christians are passing through the country. Some have been born here and grew up speaking only Arabic. Commonly they have a passion for prayer and evangelism, they speak Arabic, and in culture and colour they look just like Sudanese Arabs.
  • FOCUS stands for the Fellowship of Christian University Students in the Sudan. It is an interdenominational fellowship of students and graduates and it exists to reach students in every campus with the Gospel and to send them out to bear witness to Christ and his teaching.
  • FOCUS is strategically placed to play a catalytic role in impacting both the church and wider society in the country. FOCUS# vision for the next five years before the transitional period is over, is for students and graduates to shine the light of the Gospel to all parts of Sudan. FOCUS plays a big role in national events and in reaching students on campus and graduates in the market place with the Gospel.
  • The heartbeat of this movement is to see the least reached students and graduates reached with the Gospel. Reaching them with the Gospel today is reaching the leaders of tomorrow and they will transform this nation by the power of God. FOCUS organised a mission's conference from the 24th Dec 2006 - 4th Jan 2007. Students and graduates were challenged for missions. Many people encounter God's power to be involved in missions and/or support missionary work.
  • Short-term outreaches are another activity to encourage students for mission. The FOCUS-week is a book exhibition, which is one of the most powerful tools for reaching non-Christians with the Gospel. Through Christian literature books and cassettes over 700- 1000 people hear the Gospel.
  • Calvary Ministries
  • Started in 1995 by just one missionary in the Sudan, the work of Calvary Ministries (CM) has now grown to 18 missionaries working full-time in four different locations. CM's main goal is to start house churches among least reached people groups outside of Khartoum and to mobilize and train others to do the same. CM also has 12 full-time Sudanese missionaries working and living among Muslims in three regions outside of Khartoum.
  • Included in CM's very ambitious goals are to open six new fields of work, hold 10 Bible exhibitions in remote least reached communities, to train 3 000 people in Sudan in discipleship and missions, and to place 20 new Sudanese believers in the mission field. This year CM plans to start a full-time mission's training school to equip Sudanese believers to possess the Sudan for Christ, "no matter what the cost."
  • Prayer Requests
Pray for continued purposefulness, provision, protection, and perseverance for CM missionaries as they work in distant and difficult communities.
Pray that the fruit from this first harvest will both survive and reproduce.
Pray that Sudanese believers will take up the challenge of reaching their own least reached people groups for the Lord.
  • We praise the Lord that the Father is continuing to place a burden on the heart of Sudanese believers to break down racial and religious boundaries to reach out to Arabs with the love of Christ. The Sudanese believers have suffered greatly at the hands of the Arabs. Their lands have been stolen. Their relatives have been killed. Yet, some are choosing to say, “We will not hate the Arabs for what they have done. Rather, we will share with them the love of Christ.” Jesus said in Matthew 5:44, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”. These men and women are living examples of this verse.
Pray that God will continue to call out Sudanese believers to form church planting teams.
Pray that the churches will lead the effort of training the people in their congregation to reach out to Muslims.
Pray that the leaders of these congregations will have a growing, unquenchable passion to plant churches among Muslims in Sudan.

[edit] Bible translation

  • Sudan's people speak hundreds of different languages and dialects. The Bible has been translated in seven of these; the New Testament in 15, and 21 of the languages have portions of the Bible. Pray that more Bible translation work will be completed.
  • Bible Translation into Juba Arabic: This is the name given to the form of Arabic that Southern Sudanese from different tribes speak to one another in Juba. However, there are also now a lot of intertribal marriages, so many young people are growing up in the city not knowing their parents’ original languages and only speaking Juba Arabic. It is really a simplified form of the Sudanese Colloquial Arabic that is spoken in Northern Sudan, but it is also mixed with various elements from different Southern Sudanese languages.
  • Most churches in Juba, and in some other towns, use Juba Arabic for their services, but there has never been a standardised way of writing it, and people in different places speak it differently, depending on what their local mother tongue is, so it is very difficult to produce usable written materials. Many Southerners would like to see a Bible translation in Juba Arabic, since they cannot read the Bible in standard Arabic. But it would require a massive co-operative effort among churches of all denominations and from different parts of Southern Sudan. See also Bible Translation world wide.
  • Prayer Requests
Pray for cooperation and unity among churches, denominations and different parts of Sudan to see this project through.
Pray for a vision in Southern Sudan for a Bible in Juba Arabic.

[edit] Video

  • Business people have been quick to see the demand for video entertainment in Sudan. Roadside theatres in towns, showing English Premiership football or action/war films, are crowded with customers 2 or 3 times a day.
  • The Jesus film, produced by New Life Ministries in Sudanese Arabic, Dinka, Nuer, Bari, Ma'di and Moru, is the only Christian video that has reached comparable audiences, mainly on a big screen with a portable generator and projector. Since the peace agreement, better electrical equipment is available everywhere, and some local churches are beginning to use Christian videos. God's Story, an overview of the Bible, has recently been produced in Dinka Padang, and a Bari version is in progress. Both video cassette and digital video master will be available.
  • Prayer points
Resources for Christian videos to be shown instead of videos that have little value.
Training of Sudanese Christians so that relevant films and videos can be produced in Sudanese languages.
Cooperation between different agencies using both the Jesus film and (in future) God's Story videos to maximise impact.

[edit] Broadcasting

[edit] Councils and Networks

[edit] Future Trends

[edit] For More Reading

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