Disciples And UCC Leaders Push To End Hostilities In Sudan

March 7, 2007

As leaders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the USA and Canada and the United Church of Christ, we join together to express our concern for the people of Sudan. As Christians, we realize that we must share in the responsibility to protect human life.

On 9 January 2005 an historic event occurred in the life of the Sudan. The government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. With the Peace agreement came an end to 21 years of conflict between northern and southern Sudan and the hope for peace to follow in Darfur to the west. However, for the past three years we have witnessed, with growing concern, the escalation of violence and death in the Darfur region of Sudan. Since 2003, over 450,000 people have died and we mourn the unnecessary loss of so many lives. We despair for the lives of over 2.5 million displaced Darfuris who are currently surviving in refugee camps.

We urge the Khartoum government to accept and live up to its responsibilities as a sovereign state to provide for the protection and security of all its citizens. The current actions of the Sudanese government have created the abhorrent conditions under which the displaced must live because access to humanitarian aid has been severely hampered. We find unconscionable, the raiding, pillaging and burning of villages and the rape, torture and other violent actions committed by the militia group, the Janjaweed.

God speaks loudly and unequivocally to preserve the life of the vulnerable. The Psalmist declares that the blood of the needy is precious in God's sight and it is they whose life is redeemed from oppression and violence (Ps. 72:12 - 14). It is this oppression and violence that has moved the United Nations to call the situation in Darfur "the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today."

The safety and security of the people of Darfur are our primary concern. The May 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement purported to stop government support for the Janjaweed and permit aid to be safely delivered to the displaced. Yet it was signed by only one rebel group and has been disregarded by Khartoum and remains unenforced by the international community. We believe that the protection of the civilian population can best be served through a comprehensive diplomatic effort that holds the government of Sudan accountable for the security and democratic future of Darfuris, and places this objective in the context of credible progress on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between northern and southern Sudan. Specifically, we encourage more thorough and effective peace negotiations between the Sudanese government and all Darfurian rebel groups, as well as the implementation of the more limited Darfur Peace Agreement.

Therefore, we are calling on the United States government to make Sudan/Darfur a priority in its foreign policy. As a result, we are urging the Bush administration to work with the international community to bring about the compliance of the Sudanese government in implementing the United Nations plan for an expanded peace-keeping presence in Darfur, with an explicit mandate to protect civilians. Only sufficient protection will ensure adequate access for humanitarian agencies to deliver critically needed assistance, including food, to the internally displaced. We understand that as part of this shift in policy priority, the United States should take the lead in increasing development assistance to southern Sudan's five main regions to bolster their level of development because peace in Darfur is inextricably linked to the economic and political stability of the rest of the country.

It is with much thought, prayer and deliberation and with a deep sense of urgency that we are calling for these actions by our government. We have heard the cries of the innocent and we feel compelled to stand in solidarity with the Sudanese people.

We affirm the "Promoting Peace for All in the Sudan" resolution passed by our two church bodies in 2005. In it, we called for the Sudanese government to cease hostile actions against civilians, to end support for militant groups committing violence and to engage in immediate efforts to end the crisis.

These actions have not occurred and as a result we are calling on the U.S. government to use its relationship with governments around the world to "internationalize" pressure on the government of Sudan and create a united front for new and urgent action to protect and ensure safe delivery of aid to the innocent.

Further, the United States, through the United Nations Security Council, should encourage the Sudanese government to end the impunity for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Sudan/Darfur by supporting the efforts of the International Criminal Court to indict and prosecute perpetrators.

We urge members of our two churches and all those who are compelled to stand in solidarity with the people of the Sudan/Darfur to continue to pray, study and discern. We encourage action in all forms:

• Participate in our two churches' Dear Sudan campaign.
• Give generously to Week of Compassion (WOC) and One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) special appeals to support efforts to deliver humanitarian relief and supplies to the region and efforts to aid the internally displaced in Sudan/Darfur. Both WOC and OGHS support the work of ACT/Caritas in Sudan/Dafur.
• Visit regularly the Global Ministries website for updates, resources and links to other sites.
• Join Church World Service's letter writing campaign. Church World Service brings much needed relief to persons fleeing the violence in Sudan.
• Sign up for the Disciples Justice Action Network and the United Church of Christ's Take Action through Justice and Witness Ministries.

We firmly believe that 1 John 3:18 is calling us to love not only in word or speech, but in truth and action and that God's spirit is calling for peace and justice on behalf of the people of Sudan/Darfur. Let us heed God's call for lasting peace during this Lenten season.