Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
13 November 2009
Juba — Churches in the Sudan have expressed their concern over the country's delay in the implementation of the historic Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA).
In a communique issued in Juba at the end of the general assembly of the Sudan Ecumenical Forum (SEF), held from November 9-14 on the theme: Together We Stand United for Peace, the Church observed that the peace process in Sudan has reached a critical point.
"With less than five months before the elections and a little more than one year before the referendum, the fragile Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) is on the brink of collapse", said the Church.
"We, the Sudanese Church and its worldwide ecumenical partners, assembled in Juba to assess the situation and to agree on joint action, call upon all our brothers and sisters inside and outside Sudan and the international community to join hands and to urgently mobilize the necessary will and resources to rescue the CPA,", said the Church communiqué.
"We are appalled by the increasing number of inter-ethnic clashes in Southern Sudan, most prominently in Jonglei and Upper Nile, the ongoing attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Western Equatorial and the continuing violence in Darfur", pointed out the Church.
In addition, "we are particularly alarmed by the increase of violence in some parts of Southern Sudan including the abuse, rape and killing of women, elderly and children, aimed at destroying the social fabric within and between communities" said the Church.
"We strongly condemn these and any other form of violence and urge both the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Khartoum and the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) in Juba to take responsibility, to fulfil their obligation to protect citizens and bring to justice those responsible for committing and encouraging such attacks", added the Church.
The Church also said she was deeply concerned about the delays in and problems around the preparation for the upcoming elections, the referendum and the popular consultations in Southern Kordofan and Southern Blue Nile.
"There needs to be a renewed national and international focus on the referendum to ensure that it takes place on time and in a free and fair environment. Whatever happens, the referendum must be seen to be inviolable, the Church further said.
"In view of the disappointingly low turn-out for voter registration, we call on the NEC to clearly mark the registration centres and to extend the voter registration period, to make sure that the election commissions and electoral staff in all 25 states have the necessary material, training and logistical equipment to inform the population about their right to vote, and to enable and guarantee free and fair elections" stressed the Church.
"We as churches of the Sudan together with our worldwide partners are committed to the promotion of peace, dialogue and development and are stepping up our efforts to engage with our governments in the North and South" pointed the church communiqué.
"We will not keep silent as we witness severe human rights abuses including first signs of potential ethnic cleansing, where ever and by who ever they are committed" warned the Church.
"But to do this in the most effective way possible, we appeal especially to all witnesses and guarantors to the CPA, namely IGAD, the AU, the EU, the UN and individual States for urgent concerted and coherent diplomatic action and support of these efforts in solidarity with the people of the Sudan", promised the Church.
The statement was signed by Bishop Kevin Dowling, chair Sudan Ecumenical Forum (SEF) and Ramadan Chan Liol, General Secretary, Sudan Council of Churches on behalf of the participants, who included ecumenical donor agencies.
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