Dear Friends,
Last Sunday as many of us were celebrating Helen Butera’s 100th birthday in the school gym there was a small group of our Sudanese parishioners meeting in the parish center discussing how they can help their family members and friends back in Sudan where a terrible humanitarian crisis is happening. I am not sure if they arrived at a decision for action, but at a minimum we, as a parish community, should know what is happening to the people there.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, became independent from Sudan in 2011 and since 2013 has been torn by a civil war motivated primarily by ethnic divisions between two tribal groups, the Dinkas and the Nuers. The leaders of the opposing groups are President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar, who has fled the country but still leads his troops. On top of the civil war, South Sudan has been hit by the same east African drought that has pushed other African countries, such as Somalia, to the brink of famine.
Tens of thousands have died in the South Sudanese conflict, with the army and rebel groups targeting civilians, and more than three million people have been displaced. UN human rights reported that the country is on the brink of genocide: “The stage is being set for a repeat of what happened in Rwanda and the international community is under an obligation to prevent it.” According to the United Nations, the famine might put the lives of five million people at risk of starvation in upcoming months if the situation does not improve.
Pope Francis is going to visit South Sudan in October. He hopes that his presence will foster a peace agreement between the differing parties in the conflict and allow food supplies to reach the people.
Bishop Tombe, from South Sudan, was recently in Rome visiting with Pope Francis about his trip. He told a reporter that the world needs to take notice or many will die. “Advocacy for peace.” He said, “This is paramount in South Sudan. The children, the grownups, even us Church leaders are crying for peace. And we’re the voice of the people, and we try our best to talk, to advocate for peace through dialogue. We’re not being listened to…Our leaders are not listening. The best way to help us then, is to raise the voice, to talk, advocate for peace in South Sudan. You have a larger voice… and it can be a solution to this great humanitarian conflict. If the solution to these big, political problems which have caused a terrible humanitarian catastrophe is left for us South Sudanese alone, we won’t succeed. We need the support of others to help us solve this problem.”
The United States had allocated $700 million to be given this year to help, but the proposed budget from the Trump Administration cuts that funding substantially. Please contact your Congressman and Senators and let them know that you want the people of South Sudan to receive food and other assistance.
You can also donate to one of the many NGO’s that are operating in South Sudan and neighboring countries as they try to feed millions of hungry people. If you make a special donation to Caritas or Catholic Relief Services, please let them know that you want your gift to go to help the people in South Sudan.
Last of all; please offer prayers for the people of South Sudan. They are suffering greatly. They need
a miracle.
Peace,
Fr. Damian