Nov 09: Sudan
Sudan
Republic of Sudan
Africa
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 2,503,890 sq kmAfrica’s largest country. Desert in the north, merging into grasslands and mountains in the centre and tropical bush in the south. Straddling the Nile Rivers. Nuba Mountains in the centre.
Population: 43,192,438 Annual Growth: 2.22%
Capital: Khartoum
Urbanites: 45.2%
HDI Rank: 150 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 246 (56% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: Arabic and English Languages: 134 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Muslim| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 11,277,546 | 26.11 | 4.8 |
| Evangelicals | 6,336,018 | 14.7 | 6.4 |
| Muslim | 26,511,518 | 61.38 |
Answer to Prayer
The massive growth of Christianity, especially among central and southern peoples, is a point for praise. Christian numbers, 1.6 million in 1980, now exceed 11 million. Southern peoples may be as much as 80% Christian – remarkable growth amid terrible violence, warfare, persecution and even genocide. One such example is the spiritual transformation of the Dinka Bor people from animist to Christian.For an additional 3 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
Challenge for Prayer
South Sudan has officially been at peace since the CPA of 2005, when significant autonomy was established. During the 21-year civil war, 1.5 to 2 million people, mostly southerners, lost their lives, 5 million were internally displaced and a further 500,000 (and probably far more) fled the country to escape genocide by the Islamist, Arabized north. There are many issues still needing prayer:a) The peace agreement is desperately fragile in many areas. It is often not observed by northern troops who displaced tens of thousands, destroyed most of the homes in the region and are colonizing the area with northerners in anticipation of the 2011 vote. The northern armed groups’ predations may provoke a unilateral breakaway by the south, which in turn would inevitably lead to war, chaos and further destruction. Pray that peace might prevail and that those perpetuating violence and disorder may be stopped. Pray also that the bombed-out infrastructure might be rebuilt without the threat of further destruction.
b) The 2011 referendum on independence will determine south Sudan’s future. No one knows the implications of a vote one way or another, but independence would spell many trials in forming a young nation. There would be at least one possibly hostile, resentful neighbour, since most of Sudan’s oil reserves are in the south. Were independence chosen, pray that upheaval and violence would be minimal and that wise, righteous leaders might emerge to move the fledgling nation forward. The oil-rich Abeyi and Nuba mountain regions have also suffered heavily at the hands of the military and militias; Abeyi will also hold a referendum about whether to join the North or South in 2011.
c) The remarkable church growth of the last 20 years occurred mostly in the south, in a context of war and destruction. The faith of the southern Sudanese amid persecution and suffering is remarkable, but cannot be presumed for the next generation. Pray that neither the peace agreement nor possible independence might blunt the keen edge of their faith. Pray that the Church might play a central and redemptive role in shaping the future of the south.
For an additional 12 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
