Sudan is in a very important, but fragile, phase. After the overthrow of dictator Omar al Bashir in 2019, Sudan has been run by a transitional government. Many members of this government are honest actors who want to see real change in the country. They are supporters of religious freedom and an end of the policies of forced “Islamization” and “Arabization.”

However, Sudan’s transitional government also contains members of the “old guard,” radical Islamo-fascists and kleptocrats who do not want to give up power, or their previous dominance in the country.

Added to the problems of how to “rebrand” Sudan’s government, the previous regime ran the economy into the dirt. Sudan is, practically speaking, a failed state. The suffering of normal, everyday Sudanese is hard for us to imagine.

Suffering is nothing new for those living in the war-torn Nuba mountains region of Sudan. The Nuba have lived most of their lives in a state of active war or fragile “ceasefires” which have, more often than not, been empty promises.

Since June, 2011, the Nuba have lived under extremely difficult conditions. The regime of Omar al Bashir pushed all the major humanitarian organizations out of the Nuba to try and starve them into submission — or drive them out.

But even during times of ceasefire, many international organizations have been afraid to return to the Nuba until a lasting peace can be assured. All of this plays into the hands of the Islamists still in power.

But the hardships in the Nuba have not stopped an estimated one million people from returning to their native mountain home since 2011. This has doubled the population to just over two million. One reason these Nuba are coming home is that security is much better in the mountains. The Sudan government has not been in control since before the war began in 2011, so people feel more secure in a place they can govern themselves.

Of course, the sudden rise in population hasn’t made life easier for residents, as already scarce resources are stretched ever thinner.

This is why Persecution Project has steadily increased our outreaches to the Nuba people. We work in partnership with the local churches to provide returnees with emergency food, shelter, medical care, and safe water.

Most importantly, we provide them with encouragement by supporting discipleship programs through the local churches. Print and audio Bibles are regularly distributed, as well as conferences organized to build up, encourage, and train pastors and their families. All of these efforts are underwritten by your love.

We recently received an update from the field, reporting on the progress of our Summer outreaches. The news is good.

For example, one thousand additional women have been blessed with a Dignity Kit, and 3,000 audio Bibles have been distributed to churches and schools. Additionally, a thousand families living in the remote and hard-hit area of Kwalib received an “Action Pack” containing items like soap, mosquito nets, fabric for making and mending clothes, collapsible containers for collecting water, and notebooks for school.

These and more projects are administered by local churches in the Name of Jesus— thanks to your love for your brothers and sisters in Africa. While we don’t know what the political future holds for the nation of Sudan, we do know that we will continue to stand with the persecuted church as you continue to partner with us in the joy of active compassion.