20. SUDAN (Synod of South Australia)

That the Assembly:

20.1 express admiration to the New Sudan council of Churches for their courageous work towards reconciliation and peace in New Sudan, assuring them of our support;

20.2 recognising the violence inherent in the imposition of a "jihad" or "holy war" in Sudan and the ambiguity of political and military responses which tear people apart, convey to the Sudanese community in Australia our continuing support to them as they seek to rebuild lives, find employment, ensure schooling for their children and maintain their cultural roots as Sudanese people;

20.3 encourage members of the Uniting Church, its congregations and presbyteries, to continue their pastoral and practical support to the Sudanese community in Australia;

20.4 welcome the formation of the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (Australian Chapters), and commit ourselves to work with them, the National Council of Churches, and other supporting organisations, in the continuing struggle to create a peaceful society characterised by freedom, democracy, fundamental human rights and the dignity and respect of all persons, regardless of race, sex or religion;

20.5 stand in solidarity with the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement Australian Chapters as they:
· draw international attention to the pain of the Southern Sudan, including Southern Kordofan (Nuba Mountains) and Southern Blue Nile (Ingessena);
· support the organisation essential to the reconstruction of communities in SPLM administered areas in Sudan;
· work towards the liberation of their people and the creation of a safe and peaceful community.

Rationale:
As a Christian church we must support the people of Southern Sudan.

The war between the National Islamic Front and the Christian and animist south has claimed two million lives.

This is the greatest humanitarian tragedy since the Second World War.
Two million people have died because of the war.

The number of displaced people in Sudan itself has reached 4.5 million.
There are a million refugees.

The displaced people and most of the refugees are living in subhuman conditions in "peace camps" and refugee camps. They are in the desert or near unhealthy swamps. They are battling hunger and disease. They are subject to attacks by bandits. Worst of all they have nothing to do and nothing to hope for.

Thousands and thousands of young men who have refused to be part of the "jihad" - the "holy war" against their own people - have been taken to the notorious "ghost houses", the places where torture takes place. They have been beaten, whipped, burnt with cigarettes, given electric shocks with cattle prods, starved and sexually abused in an attempt to "convert" them from Christianity to Islam.

The church honours the Christian martyrs. But there are thousands of young Christians who have been tortured and brutalized because they will not renounce Christianity. They have not given their lives for their faith. But they will bear the physical, emotional and psychological scars for the rest of their lives. They feel their fellow Christians have deserted them.

The displaced young people are crying out for education. In the words of Vincent: "We are dying inside. Life in a refugee camp isn't easy. There's nothing to do. We have no control over our own lives. Our movements are restricted. We have no freedom. I'd like to be able to study so that I can make myself useful. There are so many people in need and I feel called to help them. But I can't help even myself." People like Vincent appeal to churches and educational bodies for scholarships. But they feel no one is listening.

The SA Synod of the Uniting Church has had a close relationship with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement for more than 10 years. It supports the Sudanese community and has provided it with a meeting place. It plays a leading role in the SA Council of Churches' Ecumenical Sudan Support Group.

All the people of Southern Sudan are suffering abuses of human rights and grave injustices. And our Sudanese brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering because they are Christians. The SA Synod wants to bring their plight to the attention of the whole church and the whole Australian people.

The situation in Sudan goes largely unreported in the West. The people of Sudan are appealing to us to help them make their voice heard.

We must support moves to bring peace to their country and help make relief, development and education projects possible. And we must do all we can to support the IGAD (Inter-Governmental Agency for Development) peace process and its declaration of principles which, in the words of the 1998 general assembly of the World Council of Churches, provide "a viable framework for a just and lasting peace in the Sudan".

The church encouraged and worked with - and prayed for - the ANC in the struggle for justice in South Africa. In many ways the Uniting Church led the way in this struggle. We must now do the same for the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the struggle for justice in Southern Sudan.