Exiles from the Nuba Mountains, based in Leeds, Birmingham and other parts of the UK, will hold a cultural day on Saturday 16th July at Meanwood Community Centre, from 12noon to 7pm.

The members of Nuba Mountains Welfare Association want to raise awareness of what senior church figures have called a genocide being carried out against their community in the Nuba Mountains region of Sudan.

There will be a presentation of the current situation in the Nuba Mountains with exclusive photos and eyewitness accounts. But the day will not all be sombre. There will also be a celebration of Nuba culture, with Sudanese food, a fashion show, Nuba dancing and a raffle with Sudanese clothing and artefacts as prizes. Money raised will go towards supporting communities affected by the violence in the Nuba Mountains.

Everyone interested in finding out more is encouraged to come and families are welcome.

The violence in the Nuba Mountains began one month ago when the Government of Sudan declared it would drive former rebels out of the region, and began carrying out door-to-door executions of those thought to be sympathetic to former rebels, especially those of Nuba ethnicity and Christians. Bombings of civilian villages are carried out daily. Estimates of the numbers displaced by the violence range from 70,000 to 400,000; no-one knows how many have been killed, but there are reports of mass graves where thousands of bodies have been dumped. The UN have been threatened and humanitarian access routes blocked.

Notes:
Contact Isaac Koko on 07405746512 for more information.

Background:
The Nuba Mountains is part of Sudan; South Sudan declared its independence on 9th July and took the name “Republic of South Sudan”, but the Nuba Mountains is part of the North, still named “Sudan”.

Former rebels in the Nuba Mountains fought alongside the South during the long civil war, but are indigenous to the Nuba Mountains. They had been peacefully operating as part of local government, Joint Integrated Units and other institutions since a peace agreement was signed in 2005, before the Government of Sudan attacks.

Links:
For more about the situation in the Nuba Mountains, please read the following articles, reports and interviews:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/24/3253184.htm
http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/politics/4769/%E2%80%98/
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/18/is-omar-hassan-al-bashir-up-to-genocide-again/
http://brightgreenscotland.org/index.php/2011/06/is-there-a-political-solution-to-halt-genocide-in-the-nuba-mountains-sudan/
http://www.sudantribune.com/Sudan-President-Al-Bashir,39459

Christopher Singh

I’ve just been through one of the most challenging experiences in my life. For four hours, the length of time it took young Dave to bring our ancient fuse box into the twenty-first century, I have had to live without electricity. I tell you it was weird: no computer, no TV, no radio, not even a kettle.

Now before you all begin to feel sorry for me let me reassure you that during that period I neither starved nor dehydrated; the former because Gwynneth, before she left me in charge of Dave and headed off into town, had made me a tuna sandwich – the latter because she had also given me very detailed instructions on how to strike a match and boil up a pan of water on a gas hob.

No, as far as my physical welfare was concerned I was fine. It was the utter isolation from the outside world that I struggled with. You can’t imagine the shock I felt when I realised that without electricity not only could I not watch Bargain Hunt live (BBC1 – 12.15 till 1) but neither could I record it. Even worse I couldn’t take advantage of Gwynneth’s absence and indulge myself by getting my fake red Fender Stratocaster out and playing along to my Shadows backing tracks. If this is what life in the good old days was like I found myself thinking how jolly glad I was that I missed them (just).

Anyway Dave’s gone now so that’s that, and while he might have only been here four hours the strict regime he brought with him did mean one thing and that’s that in my endeavours to read the bible in a year it’s now March 3rd.

John Sherbourne.

For many of us, our daily lives are mixtures of happenings of which worship at church is but one part. Life takes us all over the place – even all over the world. We find ourselves in countless situations, some of our choosing and to our pleasure, others we would perhaps have avoided and yet others that are impossible to cope with.

One of the advantages of age (mid-seventies) is that you can look back over the ground that you have already covered. You know that in those past years there were steep climbs, scary drops, times when you felt that you could not, or dare not move on. Times when those alongside you struggled, times when they left you to find their own particular route through their lives. Those years had their own ups and downs, inevitably, but looking back along the road you have travelled, it now seems more level than you thought at the time when you walked it.

Some time ago, for whoever in my family may want to know, I wrote about the various episodes in my life that seemed significant – at least to me! They included growing up, school, work, National Service, football refereeing, family, faith, belief and Samaritans.

What follows focuses on the last three areas and how they interweave with one another.

In the sixties we had our three sons, we were both baptised at Harehills Lane Baptist Church, I gave up my whistle as a referee and I joined Leeds Samaritans which had only been formed in 1966. In those early days it functioned in rented accommodation near the University; it now owns its own house close by in Clarendon Road. As a charity, it is available to anyone who is emotionally distressed or perhaps feeling that ending their life is the only thing left for them. It offers confidentiality, freedom to share emotions for however long it takes.

In earlier times it was mainly a telephone service with, alongside, people who called for support at the centre. Ways of contacting have moved on since then and currently, as well as telephone and face to face contacts, many people contact us by email and text message; fewer people come to the door now.
In Leeds we have endeavoured to provide a 24 hour phone service for the whole of our existence as a charity and about 150 volunteers working to a shift pattern somehow ensure that we are there for our callers every day and night of the year. Our busiest time for contacts is during the hours of the night.

Something like 60,000 people contact Leeds Samaritans in a year with about 30,000 dialogue contacts of which about 20% are expressing suicidal feelings. That proportion rises for email and text message contacts. All volunteers receive preparation over several weeks before being able to take calls. This preparation is the same for all 200 branches operating throughout the British Isles.

Perhaps this is the point at which to clarify that, in spite of its biblical title, Samaritans is not a Christian organisation. But then distress is not exclusive to Christians. Nor are they the only people who care about what happens to other people.

So where do Margaret and I fit into this organisation? I joined in 1968, was asked to become Treasurer in the early seventies, then Director from 1978 to 1981. Margaret joined in 1970. We both stepped down in the eighties when ageing parents and growing children became priorities in our lives. Also, I was asked to be our Church Treasurer. On retirement, 1993 for me, 2000 for Margaret, we rejoined.

As well as doing our regular duties including those pressured times during an overnight duty, I was soon sucked back into other roles within the Leeds branch including the practical oversight of the Samaritan building, responsibility for the welfare of the people who contact the organisation, publicity and outreach and training of new volunteers. (Not, I hasten to add, all at the same time!) Then, in 2007, I was asked to again take over for a three year period as Director. In nearly thirty years the issues in society were different from the first time but human distress and emotions were very similar. Just a different group of people were experiencing them.

In Spring 2010 I stepped down as Director, took the required leave of absence and then we both returned as volunteers, joining four previous directors still doing duties.

Perhaps I can anticipate a few queries from my church friends!

“You say that Samaritans is not a Christian organisation. How does that sit with being someone who believes in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with other people?”

Samaritan volunteers place the emotional needs of callers foremost in a call – it is all about the caller’s needs and not about the volunteer. Essentially the skill is in listening, asking relevant questions in a sensitive way and responding with empathy to what is or is not being said by the caller.

“You use the term ‘volunteer’ – does that mean that none of you, however responsible your role, gets paid?”

With the exception of a part time paid secretary, no one gets any money.

“Where does the money come from to keep the place going?”

It comes from the generosity of the public to our numerous fund raising events. Perhaps in the current economic crisis, we are fortunate not to be dependent on local or national authorities. But it requires real effort and commitment to raise enough money to meet our needs.

“If I felt that this might be something for me to do, how do I go about applying?”

There is a website where details for volunteering are given: www.samaritans.org
You can email the Leeds branch at: samaritansleeds@aol.com
Or phone Leeds: (0113) 2456789 making sure that it is Leeds you are talking to
Or contact us direct: 93 Clarendon Road, Leeds LS2 9LY

“How does Samaritan work and belonging to Moortown Baptist Church fit together in your life?”

Having been a part of both, been in leadership in both, having been supported by both, having struggled in both and having been enriched by both they are essential parts of my life. Sometimes at Samaritans the issues that people tell us about in their lives and the pressures that people face seem just too overwhelming for anyone to cope with. But, as many of you are aware, there are pressures in church life as well. Equally, both groups experience times of real happiness and satisfaction.

To have the opportunity of belonging and sharing in these contrasting moods in both groups and being able move between and within both is a real blessing.

Malcolm Robinson

This page provides audio readings for the Young Life Daily Bible readings that we are following in church.
Some people prefer to listen than to read from the printed page. You can jump to whichever month we are in by clicking on one of the links below:
December 2011, January 2012, February 2012, March 2012, April 2012, May 2012, June 2012, July 2012, August 2012, September 2012, October 2012, November 2012, December 2012
Then just click on the link you want to listen to. A control will come up in a new window to allow you to start, stop, fast forward and rewind. You will see that the Old Testament readings generally contain more than one link per day, one for each chapter. Just take care that you click on the intended link.

December 2011

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

April 2012

May 2012

June 2012

July 2012

August 2012

September 2012

October 2012

November 2012

December 2012

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Introduction

This conference was the third organised by the European Baptist Federation to address issues of human trafficking – particularly that concerned with trafficking for sexual exploitation. We came together from 17 countries, a mixture of places of origin and destination for trafficked women – although sadly some from the east could not obtain visas. The delegates included those who had been working in this area for many years, and those who felt God was calling them to this ministry, but who felt they did not know where to start and so wanted to learn. We also wanted to explore how we could work together. The criminal trafficking gangs – both international and internal – are extremely well organised and yet those wishing to challenge these evil exploitative lucrative businesses often fail to develop a trans-national, or even trans-local, response.

The key note contributions

Herzwerk. (Literally – Heart work) This was the local Viennese project which hosted the conference. They described the different elements of their work – street work, counselling, support, reintegration, networking, awareness raising and social responsibility. The women had principally been trafficked from Nigeria and Eastern Europe. Some women came across the borders from the East every day to earn money for their families; in their own countries poverty was intense and little opportunity for work existed for those without education. Many were clearly being pimped and mafias were making large profits. They worked both on the streets and in brothels and nightclubs. A Nigerian pastor involved in this work was also trying to establish some preventative work in Nigeria.

This good work being undertaken is very similar to many local projects in other places. What I personally found more interesting was the session when several of those involved told the story of how they came to be part of Herzwerk. One woman had passed women working on the streets when she took her children to school 20 years previously and had felt God calling her to do something to help – but had not known what. Others too had as sense of wanting to do something. Eventually a couple of them arranged a prayer meeting and advertised this as an open meeting for anyone interested. to come. They hoped for 6 people, but about 26 came – including most of those telling their story in this conference. And so they started tentatively and with little experience until their work gradually became the major project it is today.

Moldova There was a most powerful presentation by Vladimir, a pastor from Moldova. Background information about his country, the poorest in Europe, graphically illustrated the scale of the problem. There was a vast brain drain away from Moldova – over one million Moldavians lived abroad. With a population of 3 million, there were 300,000 known victims of trafficking; and many more were taken across the border to Romania where they ‘acquired’ Romanian passports, so were EU citizens and so could be more easily be lured with false promises of real jobs. Italy and Russia were the main destination countries.

• Abandoned families; social orphans. We heard of one family where the mother was an illegal working in Italy and father illegally working in Spain. They sent money home to children aged 12 and 14 who were left at home to fend for themselves – obvious prey for traffickers. In another family, mother was trafficked to Turkey for 4 years and 4 children were left with an alcoholic father. Another girl left behind was asked by her mother to join her in South Africa; she was excited but found when she got there, she was being asked to work in her mother’s brothel. So she fled back to Moldova. A man was trafficked to Russia for forced construction/slave labour; such men are occasionally ‘serviced’ by prostitutes; when they return, they infect their wives with HIV and children die of AIDS.
• What can churches in Europe do? Lobby EU parliament about Moldovan migration to Romania. And challenge the acceptance of ‘slaves’ by Italy and Russia. Also Eastern European countries can do more preventative work and set up safe house/care for those who are returned.
• What can we all do?
  Actively oppose consumerist world view
  Share information and resources
  Revise our theology of money
  Reinterpretation of simplicity

Business as Mission: prevention and reintegration through small businesses Sven Gunar Liden (Sweden) introduced the concept of providing meaningful work for women who wanted to exit prostitution. This would challenge some of the underlying corruption underpinning human trafficking, which had many adverse effects including depressing the natural economy, increasing inflation, misallocating talents, increasing inequality and poverty.

Freeset, (bags used for Baptist Assemblies etc) the cooperative of former working women in Calcutta, was an example of work that restored human dignity.

Now a new idea was being developed as a partnership between Sweden and Moldova which was to create a fair-trade café and clothing franchise.

• The entire chain of production from design, creating, exporting and selling would be incorporated.
• It would supply stores of mass market appeal
• It would promote ethical consumables
• Clothing would be designed in Sweden and produced in Moldova
• Each specific franchise would partner with a local project and all profits to the partner organisation

Presentations by projects On the Saturday afternoon we had a good session, facilitated by Lauran Bethel, when several different projects were able to give a 4 minute presentations of their work. (Some of us understood 4 minutes better than others!) This ranged from those asking for prayer for a project they were about to start, someone working more on campaigning in Belgium via CARE, to reports from more established projects such as one in Switzerland doing significant work in Moldova, providing small family units for women and girls returning from being trafficked.
I was able to talk about CROP which supports parents in the UK whose children are targeted and groomed into sexual exploitation by internal pimping networks operating in exactly the same way as international trafficking gangs. There appears to be no comparable organisation anywhere else in Western Europe which works with parents combating this evil, which parents encounter through what happens to their children. Lauren said that having got to know about CROP’s work with parents, she talks about it whenever she preaches in Holland. And then she is often approached by parents in the church who say that this has happened to their child. Several participants in the conference became aware that there is a real need and opportunity for useful work here.

Bible Studies by Marion Carson from Scotland We had two excellent and thought provoking Bible Studies led by Marion Carson who teaches New Testament at Glasgow International Bible College. The first was on the significance of name, both in the Bible and in our every day experience. Women working on the street often take or are given a different name which is part of the process of taking away their identity, destroying who they are so that they are vulnerable to the exploiter. Knowing and using their real name is an important aspect of trust and affirmation of their unique worth in the sight of God – and us.
The second was on the whore of Babylon, the scarlet woman. This was a fascinating and thought provoking exposition of Revelation 18. Marion challenged the all too often focus on the scarlet woman as a symbol of prostitution, and on the tendency of the church still to concentrate on sexual immorality. In fact the root cause of all that was going on in the ‘Babylonian’ empire was actually greed and corruption. So instead of concentrating on the fallen women, attention should be paid much more to the underlying issues of corruption and greed which actually led to sexual exploitation among other things.

Outreach on the Streets On the Saturday evening many of us went out with members of Herzwerk to the place where the Nigerian women stand waiting for men to buy sex from them. Others went to places where women from Eastern Europe gathered. In the sub zero temperatures we stood at the edge of the park holding a service as the Nigerian women sometimes joined in with us, or more frequently – and sensibly – went into the Herzwerk warm van for a hot drink. It was a sharp reminder of the desperation of the women who, coming from a hot country, were prepared to brave the bitter cold to be violated for a little money.

The Employment Check This is the proposal that there would be cooperative working between countries of origin and destination via the EBF Network. A pilot had been planned between Germany and Bulgaria, and much of the paper work already done. It is hoped that it will become active when the person in Germany returns from maternity leave. The idea is that sending (Eastern) countries would seek to advertise widely the dangers of job offers in the West. Any information available before the girl/woman left home would be checked out by a nominated person in the destination country using the local Baptist networks. There are many potential problems, but it is envisaged that the pilot would address these.

Conclusion I felt very privileged to have the opportunity to be part of this conference with so many committed and inspiring people – some little sign of the Kingdom in this evil world?

Hilary Willmer

Sue sitting on the panel at the Munich Metastatic Breast Cancer Summit.


Sue presenting her paper at the Munich Metastatic Breast Cancer Summit


Sue’s presentation follows in full:

PRESENTATION IN MUNICH – 17th November 2010

Thank you for inviting me to participate in this Metastatic Breast Cancer Summit and for providing me with the opportunity to share with you from a patient’s perspective.

The slides are intended to emphasise some of the key issues that I will cover in my presentation in which I will be talking about the following:

• What it is like living with metastatic breast cancer ;
• Why and how to advocate for change

I would like to begin by sharing with you a little about my situation


I am 55 years of age, I live in Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the north of England, and I am married with two grown up children and two grandchildren.

I was diagnosed with primary breast cancer in February 2003 when I underwent a Mastectomy and Reconstruction followed by Chemotherapy treatment. I was then prescribed a daily medication. In October 2005 I was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer as the breast cancer had spread to the lungs and has now subsequently spread to the liver and the bones. I am presently undergoing my fourth course of Chemotherapy treatment.

My initial feeling, following the diagnosis, was that the way of life that I had come to accept, and enjoy, was no longer assured. I had to adapt, and have had to continue to adapt, to living with uncertainty. After much deliberation, especially regarding the financial implications, I took the decision to retire from full time work, on the grounds of ill health, as I wanted to take the opportunity to try to come to terms with this “new” life as well as to venture into new avenues. Nevertheless, the effects of this decision proved to be harder than I anticipated as I missed the normal routine and social aspect of work and I went through a period, and still am at times, of grieving the loss of normality.

Throughout this journey I have found it to be very much like a roller coaster and the emotional and psychological, as well as the physical aspects, are difficult to contend with. There are periods when I feel fine and I am able to do most things, then there are other times, especially during Chemotherapy treatment, when my abilities are much more limited and I am struggling to cope with both the physical and emotional effects of the medication, some of which constantly remind me that I have cancer.

I am a Christian and my faith is foundational to how I cope with this situation. Nevertheless, I still have times when I become anxious and need reassurance as well as the opportunity to discuss various issues. I do have a very supportive family, but, I often do not share my fears and anxieties with them as I do not want to worry or burden them when they already have a difficult enough journey to face with my prognosis. It is at these times that I need a professional to talk to and I do find that having the availability of somebody enhances my quality of life, as I am able to address issues and concerns as quickly as possible and therefore alleviate a lot of the distress and fears that living with this disease brings as well being assured that I am provided with the necessary information and support at particular times. I want to manage this disease myself, as much as possible, but require the support and care to enable me to do so. Unfortunately, I have found it difficult to obtain the support I have needed which has provoked me to get involved to change things.

From the point of diagnosis with primary breast cancer I was allocated a breast care nurse who supported me throughout the treatments, and, was available for contact, when the treatments came to an end. I found this support both invaluable and helpful in dealing with such a devastating diagnosis and treatment. When I was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer I was not offered, and have not received, the same level of support, which, for me, adds to the stress and isolation caused by this disease.

I would, however, want to emphasise that the care I receive from individuals, within the hospital, is excellent but I feel that the systems in place to ensure that secondary breast cancer patients receive the support they require, outside of the hospital domain, are not easy to access.

Following my diagnosis for secondary breast cancer I, independently, secured support from a nurse from my local Hospice but only for a short period as I did not require nursing care. Since commencing my current Chemotherapy treatment I have again arranged support from the Hospice to help me cope with the physical, emotional and psychological effects of the treatment.

Since my secondary diagnosis, owing to my experience of lack of support, I have been very keen to participate in groups, on a national, regional and local level, to influence and promote improvements for cancer patients, their families and carers.

I initially became involved with Breast Cancer Care, becoming a member of their User Advisory Group, which was set up to advise and guide the work of the Secondary Breast Cancer Taskforce, and I represented the group on the Taskforce itself. The Taskforce was set up to make deliverable recommendations for improvements in the treatment, care and support available to all patients diagnosed with secondary breast cancer. Following this, I wrote a letter to one of my consultants asking about any opportunities for local involvement. Initially, I became a member of the Yorkshire Cancer Network User Partnership Group and the Leeds Cancer Partnership Group which has subsequently led to my commitment to many other groups. The next slide lists a number of those groups I contribute to.

Through my involvement, at both regional and local level, my aim has been, and continues to be, to raise the needs of all people diagnosed with cancer but, particularly those with secondary breast cancer. I want to highlight the gaps, within the local systems, to ensure that all patients are offered the care, support and treatment they need throughout their cancer journey.

All of the groups have been, and continue to be, effective in promoting improvements for cancer patients, their families and carers, and significant improvements and changes have been made as a result.

Many of the improvements relate to practical and environmental issues, such as improving the outpatients’ clinics waiting areas and exemption from car park charges for all patients receiving ongoing treatment. I have also had the opportunity to raise the profile of secondary breast cancer, and issues are being addressed in relation to patients needs. For example, as a result of the work of the Yorkshire Cancer Network Breast Group, of which I am a member, the Yorkshire Network has recently agreed a secondary breast cancer patient pathway that clearly defines the level of service that is now to be delivered across the region and this is now in the process of being implemented locally.

Within all the groups I have found that the professional members are very keen to see improvements made, have listened to us as users and have always seriously taken account of our experiences and ideas.

Through my involvement, particularly with Breast Cancer Care, I have also had the opportunity to contribute to articles in various publications, on a local and national level, as well as telling my story on local radio stations. I also took the initiative to write to my local Member of Parliament, who, I then met with, to discuss the gaps in the support and care of people with secondary breast cancer, and, from this discussion, was invited to meet, along with a few representatives from Breast Cancer Care, Ann Keen the Health Minister at the time. All of these opportunities have helped to raise awareness of the issues affecting people with secondary breast cancer.

I have found that it is necessary to have realistic expectations. Changes often take quite some time to implement, but, from my own experience, small changes can make huge differences to all patients, families and carers. What I have also learned, from my involvement, is to challenge in a positive manner, to be persistent, never to give up, and to be encouraged by the changes which are made, however small they may be, rather than discouraged by how far there is to go.

Personally, I have gained so much from my involvement. It has been a lifeline for me, giving me hope and making me feel valued. I have gained purpose, motivation, the opportunity to talk to others in a similar situation and the prospect of helping to improve things for other cancer patients. I have been encouraged to find that I have a voice and I can make a difference.

I feel that it is very important that, as patients, our needs are represented and taken account of and we are provided with the treatment, care and support that we are entitled to receive. It is only by taking account of the reality of life for patients that health professionals, and ministers, can properly respond to our needs.

Through my contribution I feel that I am not being a victim to this disease, I am turning, what could be a very negative experience to a very positive one which has and, I am sure, will help to result in improvements for cancer patients, their families and carers.

I would want to say that I would not have chosen this path at all, yet, I would not have wanted to miss all the opportunities and experiences that cancer has opened up for me. I have even had the opportunity to take part, as a “model”, in the Breast Cancer Care Fashion Show, which was amazing. My life has changed beyond all recognition and, despite the struggles and difficulties it brings, I feel so privileged to be entrusted with this experience and having the opportunity to help others. Ironically, I am happier now, and more fulfilled, than I have ever been.

“I have cancer but cancer does not have me!!!”

I have been in Sudan for over three and a half years and this is enough to understand the country, the people, their culture, habits and traditions amongst other things. As you live with them day after day and rub shoulders with the people, you get to know what makes them happy, sad or angry. I also had the privilege to live in the North (predominantly Muslim) in Khartoum for over two years and also in the South in Juba for over one year. As you may know, the country has had a civil war for over 21 years between North Sudan and South Sudan and over two million people were killed during that time. A peace deal in 2005 ended that war, but sentiments do not change because the two warring factions were persuaded to sign a piece of paper. So you can imagine that there is no love lost between the two sides.

Ballot Paper for referendum

So as the date of 9th January 2011 draws closer emotions are running high, with Southerners hoping to see the light at the end of a long tunnel, and seeing themselves free of the oppressive regime of Khartoum and have their own independent country. As I travel all over the South, I see that people are talking about independence, freedom, deliverance from slavery, etc. I have traveled to a number of southern states in the last two months training journalists of state radio stations on how to proclaim the message of referendum and educating people on their civic and democratic rights. All people in the South give the impression that the South will separate from the North with a large majority of votes.

On the other hand the North is determined to keep Sudan together and is promoting unity. One of the reasons is oil (isn’t that true of all wars!) as most of the oil is in the South and the any riches in Sudan are only because of this discovery just over a decade ago. Sudan being mostly landlocked, the only way to export oil is through the only port in Sudan – Port Sudan – which is in the Northeast. So all pipelines run from South to North, to Port Sudan. North and South therefore depend on each other as the South cannot sell their oil without pipelines through the North, and the North cannot have oil but for the South. So one of the points in the CPA is that of wealth sharing, so at the moment oil wealth is distributed 50-50 between the North and the semi-autonomous South. The North is clearly afraid of letting this ‘goose which lays golden eggs’ go out of their hands. The wealth sharing agreement is supposed to continue even if the countries separate, but the South could channel its oil towards the South through Kenya (Mombasa) by putting in their own pipeline once the South separates and become a sovereign nation. That scares the North, which has no other income generating avenue, being mostly desert with no agriculture or manufacturing, at least for the time being.

Southern youths demonstrating for separation

The main point is that Sudan is going through a historically transitional time in the next couple of months and we need to pray for this nation. Tensions are high but both parties are saying that they do not want to go back to war, so pray that they keep their word – humanly speaking it is hard to see this happening, only God’s intervention can stop them fighting.

Pray also for the people, over two million Southerners live in the North. These people fled the war in the South in the early eighties and have been living in the North ever since. They feel that they will be mistreated or even killed if the South separates: they will be seen as traitors. The issue of citizenship is one of the many issues, will they be given citizenship of the North because they lived in the North for over 25 years, or will they be Southern citizens because of their ethnic origins?

The Christian Church in the North is also concerned that they would be allowed to continue to exist. If the country divides the North is going to be a strict Islamic state, as that is one of the issues of separation. The North exercises Shariya law, while the South would like a secular law. My time here has been that of a witness and I have seen people move in their thinking from hating Christians and Christianity to that of indifference and even sympathy. So I see my mission as a successful one. There is a lot still to be done and I am sure that the Lord will continue to work in lives of people who have been touched with the Gospel. I would urge you to continue praying for the nation, especially at this crucial time.

Along with a few others from MBC Gwynneth and I recently attended Adrian Plass’ and Jeff Lucas’ Seriously Funny Tour gig in Harrogate, and I can’t tell you how pleased I am to have discovered that there are so many fellow Christians who like me enjoy a good laugh. The way in which both Plass and Lucas described tackling their own doubts, frustrations and failings was not only refreshingly reassuring but absolutely hilarious. The manner in which Plass took the rise out of the ridiculous things we say to one another when we’re faced with bereavement was a wonderful blend of observation and delivery, and Lucas’ opening gag about the young Charismatic Pentecostalist lady who placed a lonely hearts ad seeking a like-minded male but who promised no tongues on their first date was so well pitched that even in Harrogate it had 99.9% of the audience in stitches. But then that’s the whole purpose of this tour; it’s to free us from our angst, it’s to try to stop us beating ourselves up and to realise that no matter how hard we try we’re always going to fall short. So next Sunday morning, or for that matter any Sunday morning, have a good look round and if you see someone who Lucas would describe as “looking in need of a large bowl of bran” try smiling at them – it might just persuade them that even as a Christian it’s ok to believe in fun before death.

John Sherbourne

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Much of modern Africa is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Seventeen nations, a third of the continent, became independent in 1960. But there is an equally significant anniversary this year: the 125th anniversary of the Berlin Conference, which carved up Africa among the European powers. The decisions of that meeting – the climax of the notorious “Scramble for Africa” – continue to distort Africa to this day.
As the historian Martin Meredith has documented, the colonial boundaries cut randomly through 190 cultural or ethnic groups that had existed for centuries. Nearly half of these borders were geometric lines that were easy to draw, yet had no connection to reality on the ground. Hundreds of diverse ethnic groups were lumped together or torn apart. Some 250 ethnic groups were thrown together in Nigeria alone. Around 10,000 polities – including monarchies, chiefdoms, empires and other societies – were suddenly amalgamated into 40 European colonies or protectorates.
“We have been giving away mountains and rivers and lakes to each other, only hindered by the small impediment that we never knew exactly where they were,” British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury admitted as the colonial powers grabbed as much as they could.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, these colonial inventions were abruptly given their independence. Ethnic groups, often hand-picked by European powers to administer their colonies, were soon battling for dominance. “Those arbitrary boundaries carried the seeds of much subsequent destruction, notably the terrible national/ethnic wars that have plagued Africa,” said Gerald Caplan, the Canadian activist and author of The Betrayal of Africa. “Sudan is a perfect example, Nigeria another.”
The colonial legacy also paralyzed the economic development of these nations. Because of the colonial borders, 15 of the new nations were landlocked – a heavy barrier to their growth. Most of the new African nations were still oriented to their former colonial masters in Europe, which continued to extract their resources. Even today, only 8 per cent of their trade is within Africa.
The borders have ensured that Africans are still too disconnected from each other. “We have 53 little countries and we are intentionally determined not to communicate and trade and move goods between each other,” said Mo Ibrahim, the billionaire mobile-phone entrepreneur who has become one of Africa’s most influential business leaders.
Sudan was a classic example of the illogical colonial borders. Its two halves had been administered separately, yet they were joined together at independence in 1956. The north was largely Arabic-speaking and Islamic, while the southerners were black tribes of diverse languages who followed traditional religions and Christianity. The northerners, who had often raided the south for slaves, dominated the government of the new country and aggressively promoted Islam in the south. The resentments soon erupted into rebellions and wars that killed millions of people until a peace agreement was finally reached in 2005.
The new nation of South Sudan, almost certain to be born after a referendum on independence in January, would be only the second created in Africa since the end of colonialism (the first was Eritrea). It will become yet another landlocked aid-dependent African nation.
In some of its villages, nearly half of all children are malnourished – the highest rate in the world. An estimated 85 per cent of all health and education services are provided by foreign aid agencies, not by the government. Clashes between tribes and clans killed about 2,500 people last year, and hundreds more have been killed this year. Nearly 400,000 people were forced to flee their homes because of violence last year – twice as many as the year before.
“Simply declaring southern Sudan an independent state will not bring peace and stability,” Mr. Caplan said. “This will be a frail new state indeed. The south is left with deep ethnic divisions and divisive borders that are a recipe for big future trouble.”
Southern Sudan has received $7-billion in oil revenue since the 2005 peace agreement. But corruption has siphoned off much of this money, and the government has given the largest part of its budget to its military and security forces. “The armed forces are way bigger than they should be, and way bigger than anticipated,” said Peter Crowley, director of Unicef’s program in southern Sudan.
In the capital, Juba, there is no electricity grid, no industry, and scarcely any water treatment. Most people live in mud huts, shacks, tents or other temporary dwellings. When the contaminated water from the White Nile is pumped into the tanker trucks, the workers add a bit of chlorine from a jug, but they admit they’re not sure how much to add. Families must pay up to $4 for a barrel of this tainted water. International agencies such as Unicef have been obliged to provide emergency water supplies to prevent more cholera outbreaks.
The independence of southern Sudan will create a new military ally for the United States, but it won’t end the illiteracy, malnutrition, maternal deaths, or disease outbreaks. If the impoverished people of southern Sudan don’t see improvement in their lives, the peace pledges could be jeopardized and the tribal violence could escalate.
“Unless people are able to feel the benefits of peace … the potential of a return to conflict is going to be greater,” Mr. Crowley said. “Why fight to preserve a peace that’s not bringing you any benefit?”
Written by: Geoffrey York
Taken From Globe and Mail, 31 May 2010

Southern Sudan is one of the least developed and most war-damaged region in the world and in 2011 voters will take a decision with far-reaching consequences for the peace and development of the whole country and its nine neighbouring countries, many of them prone to conflicts. The decision will be taken through a referendum that gives Southern voters a choice between independent statehood and continued unity with the government in Khartoum. The referendum date is a deadline, marking the end of six years of transitions that were tabled by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
The CPA is a 2005 deal between the Southern-based former rebels of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) –largely based in North Sudan. The CPA ended two decades of war between the North and the South with a view to distribute the wealth and power in order to make Sudan a freer and fairer place. It set up an autonomous government in the South with its own army, financed from Southern oil revenues which are shared between the two parties. In the referendum, Southern citizens will pass their own judgment on these arrangements. The SPLM is formally committed to the unity of Sudan, but its most senior leaders are voicing a preference for secession as the referendum deadline nears. The SPLM has focused political energy on securing a procedural law that will ensure a favourable referendum – and both parties spent nearly all of 2009 deadlocked on the content of that law. This has stalled progress on complex processes, including the demarcation of the troubled, populous and oil-rich 2,100 km border that are needed for the referendum to take place.

The long war that started in the South inspired other conflicts in Northern peripheries neglected or abused by Sudan’s powerful centre. Darfur and three areas along the troubled and populous border between North and South Sudan (Abyei, Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan) all have referendums or consultations aimed at letting them pass judgment on Sudan’s unstable political order. And the NCP and SPLM will both face their first credible electoral test in April 2010. All these processes are supposed to answer the wider problem of self-determination in Sudan – whether the Sudanese state represents the interests of all Sudan’s peoples, or only those of the elites in the powerful rich centre and their clients.
So processes that were intended to help Sudanese people determine their own future freely now run the risk of perpetuating violence. But they must be completed in time, because the big deadline of the Southern referendum cannot be altered without enormous risks. The widespread Southern perception that the central government has failed to take the opportunity to transform itself has strengthened the hand of SPLM leaderships favouring secession – and many of them privately express the opinion that any attempt to postpone the referendum will be a cause for war. In order to avoid this risk, and secure their interests, Sudan’s elites are likely to manage the run-up to the referendum through high-level, last-minute deals. Such deals are possible: both parties need each other to maintain oil revenues; the NCP wants the legitimacy that an election and a peaceful transition could provide; and the SPLM wants the referendum to happen.

But both parties have a history of bad faith and delay in negotiations. This means that vital and complex questions about what comes after the referendum are postponed – and extremists on both sides will be tempted into unilateral measures that could make instability more widespread. If Southern Sudan chooses unity in January 2011, its army needs to be integrated with that of the central government within 90 days – a daunting task, given that the two armies now confront each other along the length of the border. If it chooses secession, an independent state will be born as soon as the vote is announced. But independence is more than secession. Independence cannot happen without a whole range of agreements on loaded questions. Assets need to be divided – oil revenues, water, national infrastructure and other assets. Nationality needs to be defined. Any new currency will need to come into circulation at a price that is sensitive to the interests of many different economic groups.

A new US policy on Sudan, announced in October 2009, balances the need for an end to violence in Darfur with the need to avert a violent ending to the CPA. US engagement is welcome, but the fact that so much of Sudan’s future will be decided at the highest level may spread the politics of exclusion into the post-referendum period. US mediation may mean that Sudan is not seeking to redefine itself through engagement with its peoples or its neighbours, but is looking to the superpower to set out a solution. US engagement is not enough – other actors including the United Nations, the African Union and other regional bodies, Arab and European supporters of the CPA, and countries with large investments in Sudan should also support Sudan as it negotiates its big decisions and deadlines. Regional bodies have a role in promoting local and national dialogue that will mitigate the exclusionary politics of the moment. The UN has made enormous investments in peace-keeping and mediation in Sudan: it needs to show that it can help limit violence, encourage dialogue and protect Sudan’s long-suffering citizens in the critical year ahead.

(Excerpts from a recently published Chatham House report’s executive summary)