Prayer for South Sudan - The World's Newest Country
Background information
After decades of brutal civil war that left two and a half million dead, the devastated and vastly underdeveloped southern part of Sudan
secured independence in 2011. The world’s youngest nation came into existence amid great challenges. Secession from Sudan marked a major
milestone and a fresh opportunity for South Sudanese. But massive state-corroding corruption, political instability within the ruling party, the
Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), and persistent tensions with Sudan over the sharing of oil revenues left South Sudan deeply
vulnerable to renewed conflict.
South Sudan gained independence as one of the most fragile and underdeveloped countries in the world. The path to a lasting peace will
require addressing not just the immediate challenges presented by the current conflict, but those that existed long-before independence was
achieved. These include, but are not limited to, corruption, political party reform, inter-communal violence, and tensions over oil-sharing
revenues with Sudan. Of the estimated 1.8 million people who remain displaced from their homes today, 1.35 million are within South Sudan
and 453,600 have fled to neighboring countries. Nearly 100,000 civilians are currently sheltering on U.N. bases around the country as South
Sudan. Efforts to combat famine have been successful through the end of the year, but humanitarians warn that this requires a Herculean
effort. Continuing to sustain that level of response may not be possible if the violence continues.
The conditions in Bentiu, the capital of oil-rich Unity state, represent a particularly appalling situation. Families are living knee-deep in water
and fighting continues to threaten their safety. Women and girls are at risk of sexual violence, given cramped conditions and the breakdown in
social and cultural norms as a result of the violence. Mass killings, sexual violence, and other war crimes have been widely documented by
journalists and human rights groups in South Sudan. Children have been pulled out of school and the UN estimates there are at least 9,000
child soldiers that have been recruited into the current conflict on both sides.
A new report from Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (the international standard for classifying food security) shows an increase in
the number of people facing severe food insecurity from 2.5 million people in January to March 2015 and around 4.6 million people from May
onwards. The deteriorating economy is affecting people countrywide, with a recent statement from the South Sudan Council of Churches
highlighting the concerns of the church leaders around the hardship this will trigger and demanding an end to this senseless conflict.
Source - http://www.enoughproject.org/conflicts/sudans/conflicts-south-sudan
Bible text: Micah 3
1
And I said: “Hear now, O heads of Jacob,
And you rulers of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know justice?
2 You who hate good and love evil; Who strip the skin from My people, and the flesh from their bones;
3 Who also eat the flesh of My people, Flay their skin from them,
Break their bones, And chop them in pieces
Like meat for the pot, Like flesh in the caldron.”.........
8 But
truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, And of justice and might,
To declare to Jacob his transgression, And to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, You heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel, Who abhor justice And pervert all equity,
10 Who build up Zion with bloodshed, And Jerusalem with iniquity:
11 Her heads judge for a bribe, Her priests teach for pay,
And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD, and say,
“Is not the LORD among us?
Intercessory prayers
Dear Lord, we remember our Sudanese friends particularly those affected by the ongoing conflicts in South Sudan. We ask for an end to the
conflict between the two major factions that has caused loss of lives and livelihoods and displacement of people over a protracted period in
South Sudan. Lord, touch the heart of the fighters. Change their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh; that they may stop the recruitment of child
soldiers, mass killings, violence, rape and senseless destructions. Grant peace to the disturbed; comfort to the bereaved; hope to the hopeless
and strength to the weak. May the presence of God and the love of Christ be with our brothers and sisters in Sudan. We urge the leaders to
seek peace and reconciliation so that this young nation provides and cares for its people. May grace, mercy and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord be theirs in Jesus name. Amen
Dr Bunmi Olayisade
Africa Partnership Coordinator
18/6/15