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Sudan's Islamic Government Closes South To Aid
KHARTOUM, SUDAN (October 9, 2002) - A recent nine-day flight ban enacted by The
National Islamic Front Government of Sudan (GOS) on September 26 has caused
delays in humanitarian aid for southern Sudan, threatening the relief work
of Covenant World Relief (CWR) and other agencies.
The United Nations (UN) declared that a ban against flights into southern
Sudan could cause a humanitarian disaster that could affect three million
people, according to recent reports by Evangelical Press and others.
Fierce fighting between the Islamic Sudanese army from the north and the
Sudan People's Liberation Army, (SPLA), seem to be the primary reason for
the recent bans, although war has been in effect since 1983. The borders
between the north of the country, controlled by the government, and the
south, controlled by the SPLA, are still disputed between both sides. The
northern part of the country, ruled by GOS, is Islamic and the southern
portion has a high contingent of Christians.
Covenant World Relief (CWR) uses Africa Inland Mission (AIM) planes in
order to send relief supplies to villages in South Sudan where Covenant
churches are located, said Jim Sundholm, director for CWR. A flight to send
supplies had been scheduled last week to the Upper Nile region, but
Sundholm didn't know if the flight had arrived. Supplies include fishnets,
foodstuffs, Bibles and other articles needed for development work.
"This recent development (regarding the halting of relief flights) is not
new to us, but it's disturbing to know that Sudan is fighting an invisible
war," said Sundholm. "In one area, we heard from Covenanters on the ground
that in a 15-minute period 1,000 people had died. It's a tremendous
hardship and in any given period various corridors have been closed to us.
Sometimes you find a supply corridor and it's closed for any number of
reasons - fighting between border tribes, for example - but we keep trying
to find other corridors.
"This region of Sudan has not endured drought and famine, but because of
the instability of food resources food drops are necessary," Sundholm
continued. "There are seasons of peace and seasons of war and the food
becomes a pawn (in the wars). People are industrious; when they can grow
food they do. You work with the earth and the earth is your future. The
saddest thing I've heard is when the mother and father tell the rest of the
family they're eating the seeds (rather than growing them). That's the last
measure of hope - that says that they have no future."
There are an estimated 50,000 Covenanters in Sudan, said Sundholm in an
interview earlier this year. Sundholm and Jerry Rice had visited the
country in April and stated that the use of drip irrigation systems to grow
food and the procurement of supplies through neighboring Eritrea had been
successful in helping some of the Covenant churches in the region.
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