OVERCOMING OBSTACLES to SUDAN

Volume 2 1996

The Islamic dictatorship in Sudan is in a serious dilemma. Their harsh rule in enforcing Islamic Shari’a law has resulted in a Christian Black revolt that has seized 90% of the South of Sudan. Their, largely press ganged / conscripted, army has been outmanoeuvered and outfought on numerous occasions by the better motivated Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), and the government forces are now mostly restricted to several besieged garrison towns in the South. The expensive war is as unpopular with General Bashir’s army as the government is with the general population. Recent student demonstrations have highlighted the increasing internal opposition from Muslims against the ineffective rule of the National Islamic Front (NIF).

In addition, the government’s scorched earth policy of destroying livestock, crops and grain supplies in the Christian South have had the counter-productive result of spreading the Christian Church all over Sudan. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Christians (internal refugees) have been forced to flee the bombings and burnings in the South. Now there are thousands of Christian churches and home fellowships throughout the Muslim North. In Khartoum (the capital) alone, there are reported to be over 200 congregations and many more house churches.

Opponents of the NIF government are now pointing out that their persecution of Christians and suppression of the Black South have been completely counter-productive. Instead of crushing the Christian Church in Sudan, the church burnings, crucifixions and massacres have only succeeded in strengthening and reviving the churches. Far from stifling Black nationalism in the South, the Islamic government’s policies have fanned the flames into a blaze. There is now common talk of another (this would be the seventh violent change of government since 1954) coup de etat.

The many mushrooming house churches and fellowships in Khartoum have recently achieved a major victory - by presenting a united resistance to the demands for registration of churches with the state. Despite intense pressure and severe threats, the Christians refused to back down and succeeded in forcing the authorities to give up.

Hardship postings of Christian medical personnel, teachers and engineers to remote areas and harsh living conditions have only succeeded in establishing churches where none previously existed.

Severe persecution has erupted in Port Sudan (on the Red Sea) as Christian fellowships have mushroomed there. Many believers have been imprisoned in Port Sudan.

As international attention is finally beginning to take note of the prevalence of slavery in Sudan, the vicious human rights abuses and pattern of atrocities by the Islamic government of Sudan, the Bashir regime seems to have backed off somewhat and instituted several face saving propaganda measures.

For the first time in many years, no dry season offensive has been launched against the South. Unprecedented religious toleration has begun to be experimented with in Khartoum. In stark contrast to the bombing of churches and burning of Bibles in the South, the government has allowed a Christian Family Conference in Khartoum, a Christian Students Convention at the University of Khartoum and a floating Christian Book Exhibition on the Nile in January and February. Even more incredibly, some shipments of Christian books and Bibles have been allowed into the North (although these were subjected to customs duties). This is even more amazing when remembered that the UN continues to prohibit any relief flights or missions to transport Bibles into Southern Sudan. This means that the UN has continued to be even more consistently hostile to Bibles than even the Fundamentalist Islamic Regime in Khartoum! (Although even here a major victory for answered prayer was achieved when, on Christmas Day, 1995, the UN - for the first and only time - permitted the transportation of Christian “educational materials” as “a Christmas present” to certain congregations in the South. However, they still refused to allow any Bibles in - even on this special occassion!)

Christians here are quick to point out that if there was no war and resistance from the South, then there would certainly not be this sudden religious toleration in the North. Further, they note that the adverse publicity about Muslim atrocities and human rights abuses in Sudan, and the withdrawal of the US embassy staff from Khartoum has been a serious embarrassment for the NIF. The threat of sanctions and an embargo on Sudan has stirred everyone in Khartoum up - particularly the business community.

Yet this new Islamic “glastnost” in Khartoum has also been accompanied by the stationing of 14 helicopter gunships in Juba. The UN have warned that these Sudan Air Force gunships will be seeking unauthorized aircraft (i.e. non-United Nations authorized flights) to shoot them down.

Some Christian leaders have recently been interned in mental institutions instead of the previously more common prisons or “ghost houses” (torture centers).

Many Muslim Sudanese citizens are beginning to complain about the prevalence of international terrorists in Omdurman and in countless terrorist training camps throughout Northern Sudan.

The unpopular NIF government therefore, now faces unprecedented opposition at home and abroad, militarily, religiously, economically and politically - from both Christians and Muslims in the North and in the South. They are also in a difficult dilemma - all attempts to suppress the Christian Black South have failed. Yet, if they allow too much religious freedom, they may face a backlash from even more fanatical Muslim opponents who would like to replace them.

Christians in Southern Sudan report an intensification of “daily” bombing raids by the Sudanese Air Force, but a slackening off of the ground assaults. They detailed the intense suffering caused by the scorched earth policies of the NIF, the enslavement of many of their young people, the forcible circumcision of men in Muslim controlled areas, the homosexual molestation of boys by Muslim masters and the abuse of relief aid to force conversions to Islam. Aid is routinely denied to Christians and only given to those who convert to Islam.

One pastor reported on a Christian Black slave being shot by his Muslim owner for refusing to submit to homosexual sex. Another commented that Islam had brought homosexuality and slavery to the South. “These evils were completely unknown in our culture until the Muslims invaded our areas. To us, Islam, slavery, rape and homosexual perversion are the same thing.”

Several Christians complained about the farcical “elections” in Sudan this year. “In the South it is the Muslim military commanders who appoint the representatives for each area. This is no election at all.”

One of our co-workers, George, had to dive into a rubbish pit as a Sudanese Air Force bombing raid laid a string of bombs across the town where he was conducting a leadership training course. One bomb landed within the Africa Inland Church compound where the course was being held - about 40 metres from where George was taking cover.

When asked what their greatest needs are, one Christian detailed the following: “Bibles in our mother tongues, leadership training for spiritual workers, medicines, tools for agriculture, peace, freedom and friends to put pressure on the Muslim government.”

Another Pastor exclaimed: “At times like these, we learn who our friends are - only good friends would visit us during such dangerous times.”

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