Sudan Stories

South Sudan Independence Q & A

Why do most southerners want their own country?
Sudan's borders - like those in the rest of Africa - were drawn up by colonial powers with little regard to cultural realities on the ground.
South Sudan is full of jungles and swamps, while the north is mostly desert.
Most northerners are Arabic-speaking Muslims, while the south is made up of numerous different ethnic groups who are mostly Christian or follow traditional religions.
With the government based in the north, many southerners said they were discriminated against, and north and south have fought each other for most of the country's history. Southerners were also angered at attempts to impose Islamic law on the whole country.
What happens next?
The world's newest country will come into being on 9 July 2011 - exactly six years after the peace deal which ended the most recent north-south war took effect.
Then the hard work really begins.
The two sides must decide on issues such as:
• Drawing up the new border
• How to divide Sudan's debts and oil wealth
• Whether the new country will have its own currency
• What rights southerners will have in the north - and vice versa
• How vigorously the border will be enforced.
Is South Sudan ready for independence?
To be brutally honest, no.
After years of warfare and being ignored by central government, the country-to-be, which is larger than Spain and Portugal combined, has hardly any roads and not nearly enough schools or health services for its population of roughly eight million.
The SPLM (Sudan People's Liberation Movement) former rebels who have been running the region since 2005 have at least gained some experience of governance.
They have lots of money from the south's oilfields but their critics say they have so far wasted much of it on the military and not done enough to raise living standards in one of the world's poorest regions.
Some also say the SPLM is dominated by members of South Sudan's largest ethnic group - the Dinkas - and accuse them of ignoring the demands of other communities, in particular the second largest - the Nuer.
The south's government has drawn up ambitious plans to develop its cities and has decided the winner of a competition to compose a new national anthem. The south's own flag is already on display across the region.
Is Khartoum going to accept the south's independence?
After the results of the referendum were announced, President Omar al-Bashir said Sudan would be the first country to recognise its new neighbour.
But since then there has been a lot of fighting in border regions, such as Abyei and South Kordofan, which even prompted fears that war could resume.
The two sides have now signed several peace deals but tension remains high.
The SPLM accuses Khartoum of funding at least seven separate rebellions in a bid to keep the new country weak and unstable - accusations it denies.
Although South Sudan is building close links with Uganda and Kenya, its relations with its northern neighbour will certainly be one of its more important diplomatic considerations for many years to come.
What will happen to the north?
The immediate priority for the northern government will be to keep hold of as much of the oil revenue as it can, as most oilfields lie in the south.
Khartoum has some leverage, as most of the oil pipelines flow north to Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
In terms of ordinary people's lives, both sides have agreed to let all Sudanese - in particular the many southerners in Khartoum - choose which nationality to take.
But President Bashir's announcement that he will implement a stricter version of Sharia in the north if the south secedes may prompt even more southerners to leave the north.

Sudan Q&A with short term WBC missionary Jennifer Jones

1. What did your time in Sudan teach you about yourself?
Prior to going to Sudan, I had always had a great amount of anxiety when it came to even thinking about sharing the gospel. If someone asked about it, I was more than happy to discuss it, but I would never press for a decision, nor would I ever just strike up a conversation with a stranger about it. Even thinking about doing it in Sudan, where I would possibly never see these people again, made me really sick and stressed. But once I was there, I realized what I’d always known, that was fear and disobedience. I realized that this is life or death, and that if I truly loved these people then it was my responsibility to share God’s saving truth with them. I found a love and boldness in doing so. I know I’m still not as confident as I should be, but there’s definite growth and desire to do so, and for that I’m grateful.
God used Sudan to show me how reliant we, as Americans, are on things, comfort, and people; instead of relying on Him and Him alone. Not only did He show me this through the Sudanese, who have so very little, but through ourselves, as we lost our luggage and didn’t receive it until 2 days before it was time to come home. You realize in those situations how much you depend upon your “stuff” to get by instead of realizing that the Lord is ALL you need and He will provide for you in every situation. We tend to live our lives in complete excess, God convicted me of this while there and has since spurred me to begin cutting back and realizing what really matters in this world, Him and making Him known.
2. What did your time in Sudan teach you about the Sudanese people?
The Sudanese were some of the most gracious, loving and hospitable people I have ever met. Everywhere you go, people want to say hi. They consider it an amazing honor that you would come to them to share the truth with them, it was absolutely humbling. They spend so much of their life just working to survive, digging, working the fields, going for water, etc. and yet they still have the time to stop and love on you and talk to you and see why you are there. They make time for relationships. They are never too busy to talk and listen. They don’t get bored, they don’t need to be entertained, and they don’t need TV or Facebook. They are content to sit under the stars and talk and laugh and pray and just be. They taught me so much about just being, not needing to be running to the next task or event, but just sitting and soaking it in. I love them so dearly, I knew I would, I knew I did before I even got there, but I didn’t realize how much of my heart would be left with them. They are the kind of people that make you want to be a better person. They truly have a resilient spirit, especially the believers. The believers that are truly on fire for Him, they are fearless and obedient. They YEARN and COVET Bibles. They are so hard to come by that when they hold one, they have the most beautiful reverence and love for them, pray that more become available to them, but that they never lose that love for them!
Please be praying for the people. Not only are many of them still under persecution from the Northern government/people, but many are being taught false truths from some of the churches there. They are led to believe that they can’t be Christians because of certain sins or because they drink or were baptized by sprinkling instead of dunking. These are major hurdles for them, and keep some of them from ever coming to a true saving knowledge of Jesus and His grace. Many of the churches there preach such staunch legalism that the people are terrified of becoming Christians because if they backslide, it’s worse than if they were never saved. Pray that truth will continue to infiltrate, pray for safety, pray that revival spreads across that nation (not only the South, but the North as well) so that it can become a city on a hill for Him. The new Republic of South Sudan is poised to be just that. They are a brand new nation as of July 9, 2011 and are predominantly a Christian nation that has split off from a Muslim nation. They have a chance to shine for Christ in such a way that they can be used to change the religious and political landscape of an entire continent. How exciting!!!!
3. What did your time in Sudan teach you about God?
My time in Sudan taught me just how mighty, and how gentle, our Father is. While I was in Sudan, I was blessed to spend one afternoon with some Darfurians who had come to the Bible school on the e3 compound. These men and women were previously Muslims in IDP and refugee camps who came to know Christ and were brought to Kajo Keji to be discipled and to be kept safe while they prepared to return to Darfur to share the gospel and minister to their tribe members. The fact that they were alive, that while they knew they would probably be killed upon return and yet were excited to do so, that showed me just how mighty and sovereign the Lord is. He saved them. In the middle of an Islamic ruled nation, in an IDP camp where they were being horribly mistreated. He revealed Himself to them. He sent them a worker, Stephanie, who could minister to them and love them and somehow miraculously get them plugged into e3 where they could learn how to minister and share boldly with others. He is THAT big. He knows THAT much. And He cares THAT much. It was awe inspiring. You see Him everywhere there. In the beautiful lush green of the valleys, in the bends of the river, in the fact that people are alive despite horrible living conditions, in people being healed of sicknesses or years of alcoholism. He is everywhere, that’s always been something I know, but it is so much easier to see it tangibly in a place where there are less distractions.
Something else Sudan taught me about God, while His love is endless, His justice and wrath are just as endless. He does not accept sin, even though He loves sinners. He expects us to repent, and gives us the way to do it. You learn there, for a lack of better words, that God doesn’t play. I can’t put exact examples or even words on it. You just realize how short and fragile life is, and that there’s no time to waste, because once this life is over and your decision about Him has been made, there’s no changing your mind, there’s no going back, there’s no coming out of Hell. And yet, you learn just how kind and sweet He is, even in that justice. In one of the villages we worked in, a man came to know Jesus on the first day we were there. He was set to be baptized on that Sunday, he’d gone home and shared the gospel with his family and some of them came to Christ as well. He had expressed concern that he wanted his family to know Christ immediately in case something were to happen to him, he knew there was no time to waste. In the middle of the night, hours before he was to be baptized, he was struck by lightning and died. How sweet is it that God gave him urgency to know how important it was for him to come to Christ and to share that with him family. God is sovereign and mighty. I love it.
Ultimately, I guess you can say it taught me that God and His will are perfect and beautiful and so much bigger than you or me. Love you guys, thank you for your support and prayers that helped to make this trip possible for me!

Sudan Q&A with short term WBC missionary Jessica Page

1. What did your time in Sudan teach you about yourself?
My time in Sudan taught me so much about myself. I learned even more so the extent of my selfishness, how easy it is for me to want to run to comfort (my idol), whatever that may be, and how my faith can so easily lack. That sounds pretty negative at face value but in reality it's far more of a blessing because of what those things truly taught me about myself--how utterly and wholly dependent I have to be on God every single moment. My time in Sudan also taught me just how much I really do value relationships. I thrive on "living life" with people. No sidelines for me; throw me in the midst! I also came to realize that while I could say to anyone that I was content with Jesus and Jesus alone, those words at times may have been wishful thinking. God used my time in Sudan to teach me that at my core, in all circumstances, Jesus is enough. Goodness, He's more than enough! Oh, I learned too that I can live off of rice and beans for four months. Now, that is some very useful information!

2. What did your time in Sudan teach you about the Sudanese people?
Oh, what a privilege it was to learn about, live with, and love the South Sudanese people. Not to mention, be loved by them! The South Sudanese people are such a loving group of people. Their way of living and thinking is opposite of the Western way of living and thinking in that they are not always thinking about themselves. They are willing to serve their neighbor as themselves. And, they do so with such a great joy! It's simply a way of life for them. They are also so very resilient. After decades of brutal war, they still stand strong and don't give up the fight. Their new Independence as the Republic of South Sudan on July 9, 2011 is evidence of this! During my time in South Sudan I was able to watch and learn that the South Sudanese don't take things for granted, praising God when He gives and when He takes away. The South Sudanese people are simply beautiful.

3. What did your time in Sudan teach you about God?
My time in South Sudan taught me so much about my sweet Savior. It affirmed again and again what life can look like and what He will do when He has an obedient vessel readily available. He is faithful enough to do anything, and take me anywhere to simply have me to Himself--He loves me that much! He really will do whatever it takes to make Himself known. He is the ultimate pursuer and lover of my soul, so eagerly desiring to be in a relationship of oneness with me, as He is with the Father. My time in South Sudan taught me and confirmed that our mighty King is crying out to us and we so often overlook Him because unfortunately it is not really Him we are wanting to find.