FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON, AND A TIME FOR EVERY MATTER UNDER HEAVEN… A TIME TO EMBRACE, AND A TIME TO REFRAIN FROM EMBRACING… A TIME TO KEEP SILENCE, AND A TIME TO SPEAK.
ECCLESIASTES 3:1, 5B, 7B
Within two weeks of fighting erupting in Sudan’s capital city of Khartoum between competing Islamist generals, the mainstream press chose to memory hole the entire story. It’s hard to find much coverage on this humanitarian disaster, which affects tens of millions of people.
As we write these lines, Persecution Project has just received a report from the civilian administration in the Nuba mountains region in Sudan, where we support dozens of projects to aid the persecuted church. The authorities report that from April 15th-May 15th, more than 100,000 refugees from the fighting in Khartoum arrived in the Nuba. Soon, we could be at 250,000 returnees… and climbing.
These families had to make the awful decision to leave their jobs, businesses, and homes behind. Many had to leave friends and relatives as well. But they had no choice. It was either make the dangerous journey south or stay and risk starving to death or being shelled by artillery, or bombed from the sky, or shot by snipers in the streets.
And this exodus could not have happened at a worse time. The seasonal rains have already started. This means the roads are going to become difficult, if not impassable. Moreover, drinking water can more easily become contaminated as disease spreads. People on the move without adequate shelter also suffer increased illness.
The good news is that a lot of people coming down from Khartoum have family in the Nuba who can help them resettle. The Nuba people are very hospitable and are trying to absorb the new arrivals as quickly as possible. Hopefully this means we won’t see the formation of those depressing refugee camps so often associated with African conflicts.
However, the bad news is that most people coming down have lost nearly everything except the small pieces of luggage they carried with them. They now have to rebuild from scratch.
We’ve seen this before during the worst of the fighting in the Nuba a few years ago. Entire villages were destroyed, temporarily displacing the population to safer areas. The displaced would build make-shift grass shelters like those pictured here. The problem with these “houses” is that, much like the house the little pig built of straw in the children’s story, they don’t stand up well to the “huffing and puffing” from storms.
To help fortify these temporary structures, Persecution Project has distributed thousands of heavy-duty tarps to cover the grass roofs and provide a better defense from the wind and rain. One of these tarps can protect an entire family.
Shortly after fighting broke out in Khartoum on April 15th, we knew that refugees would be heading down to the Nuba for safety. We emptied our storehouse and pre-positioned 2,500 shelter tarps to receive the first wave of families.
Sadly, these reserves were used up in a matter of days. There is now a desperate need for more tarps, and our team is working to source and deliver enough to handle at least another 5,000 families.
The writer of Ecclesiastes acknowledged that there is a time when we must embrace and speak up. Right now, our Nuba brothers and sisters are working night and day to be a ministry of encouragement to those fleeing the destruction in the capital.
But they also need encouragement. They need our embrace. They also need to hear words of encouragement from us.
Your “active compassion” has already made a difference.
Hundreds of Nuba pastors and evangelists have received PPF-sponsored trauma-healing training, which will be very beneficial for the refugees who are victims of violence and terror these last several weeks.
Thousands of scriptures and scripture resources have already been distributed this year, which provide Spiritual hope to those having to start over.
More than 30 metric tons of medicine and medical supplies have also been distributed to over 200 medical facilities spread throughout the Nuba territory.
All of this would not have happened without your love and active compassion at work. Thank you for remembering and continuing to stand with our brothers and sisters in their time of trial.
