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Pray for sudan
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- Last Updated on Wednesday, 07 September 2011 10:52
Five years of peace
Five years of rebuilding Southern Sudan following decades of war
Now Sudan stands at the crossroads…
A referendum is scheduled for 9 January 2011 to decide whether Southern Sudan will become an independent country. This is part of the 2005 Naivasha Agreement between the Khartoum central government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M).
The way forward has the potential for major instability. After 5 years of peace; the return of refugees to their homeland and the investment of many mission workers and other NGOs in rebuilding the devastated Southern Sudan, the fear of a fresh outbreak of violence is real.
Will you pray with us for the country of Sudan, for its people, and for a peaceful resolution to the question of an independent Southern Sudan?
The issues surrounding the referendum are complex
The prerequisites for the referendum include a census, which will define how wealth and political power will be apportioned between regions. As of early 2008, the census had been delayed three times. Problems include disagreements between the north and south over what they are obliged under the Naivasha Agreement, funding difficulties and an enormous logistical challenge.
In the south, unmapped minefields from the war make movement difficult, while up to five million Sudanese are nomadic. Up to two million internally displaced persons from the south remain in camps around Khartoum, in the centre of the country, while refugees remain in Uganda and Kenya.
A further complication results from the conflict in Darfur to the west, where civilians who have fled attacks refuse to take part in census out of fear that the government would use the results against them. Darfuri rebel groups are unanimous in their denunciation of the planned census, while the Justice and Equality Movement group has threatened to attack any census-taker.
There are disagreements between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement about what proportion of voters will have to be in favour of independence (the NCP wants at least 75 percent support required), whether Southern Sudanese living in the north should be allowed to vote, and the post-referendum separation process (including the division of the national debt). Modest progress was made in early September, but disagreements on fundamental points remain.
In October 2009, the central government of Sudan and the South Sudanese government agreed that turnout would have to be 60 percent for the vote to be valid, and that as long as turnout is 60 percent or higher, a simple majority vote in favour of independence will result in independence for South Sudan. Should the turnout be insufficient in the first referendum, a second one will be held within sixty days.
Northern Sudan won’t want to relinquish the oil fields of Southern Sudan. An independent South Sudan would be landlocked and dependent on the north to export its oil.
How can you Pray for Sudan?
• For a peaceful referendum where everyone is able to vote safely
• For all people to understand the importance of their vote
• That the Lord will overrule competing agendas and the spirit of division sown by generations of war
• For a peaceful solution – that War and bloodshed will be averted
• For acceptance and implementation of the result
• That all nations of the world will accept and support the verdict
• For the safety of all missionaries including the SIM Sudan team
• For the Lord’s protection over all his people in the Sudan
• For SIM to be able to continue the work they have invested so much time in over the last 5 years
• For continued growth and development of SIMs work
• For a growing number of Sudanese to accept Christ
• The committed Christians will have godly testimonies and encourage their own people not to fear
• The church will continue to grow strong during this time and be a prophetic voice
• The Holy Spirit will draw many people to Jesus and they will be the rebuilders of the church and nation
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