Birth of a new nation: the forgotten heroes
As the world welcomed a new state on Saturday, one group that played a critical role in bringing peace and stability between north and south Sudan appeared to be forgotten.
A group of Church leaders under the World Council of Churches, All Africa Conference of Churches and National Council of Churches of Kenya worked behind the scenes to ensure humanitarian assistance and reconciliation in the region.
Among the organizations leaders who played a key role are the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia, Dr Agnes Abuom and Dr Bethuel Kiplagat who saw it critical for north and south Sudan to engage each other for peace.
“Peace is a process. It is something you cannot see the results immediately. It requires resources, commitment and cooperation between church bodies and the government,” Dr Abuom told the Nation on Sunday.
Dr Abuom did not however attend south Sudan’s independence celebrations as she had joined Muslims leaders in working for peace in Somalia.
Dr Kiplagat whose efforts to bring peace to Sudan dates back to 1960s was among those who attended the fete at Garang’s mouseleum.
Dr Abuom was happy with the secession of South Sudan saying “it is a joy and yet we recognize the challenge.”
“We are happy with independence although it has cost so much especially due to recent skirmishes in Abyei,” she said.
Through Dr Abuom, Dr Kobia and Dr Kiplagat’s work, New Sudan churches were able to open an office in Nairobi to coordinate humanitarian assistance.
The churches were further able to operate in Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army/Movement controlled areas.
Through advocacy the religious leaders also drew the attention of the international community to support victims of the war and highlighted the deaths of thousands of people.
“We ensured the Christian community globally and nationally in Sudan was united for coordination and synergy,” a happy Dr Abuom said.
She recalls a time when relationship between churches and SPLM/A was bad, causing tensions before the church leaders helped bring common understanding between them.
The church leaders further helped facilitate reconciliation between warring SPLM/A factions and worked with Sudanese women to foster peace.
A major outcome of the church’s work include affirmative action that calls for 25 percent of public positions in South Sudan to be occupied by women which was spearheaded by current South Sudan Anti-Corruption Commission boss Pauline Riak.
Leaders from Sudan were also taken through capacity building programmes in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and South Africa on handling of the conflict.
After the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the churches monitored its implementation and raised alarm when it was being derailed with Dr Kobia being appointed Ecumenical envoy to Sudan. The move helped salvage the CPA, Dr Abuom said.
The churches further worked with Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, the Arab League and various government groups through the Sudan Working Group and Africa Peace Forum to facilitate peace in Sudan.
The largest country in Africa, Sudan has been longer at war than at peace since its independence in 1956.
There is a long history of WCC involvement in trying to resolve the conflict, including helping to broker a peace agreement in 1972. It has been repeatedly invited to play a mediating role by both the government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).
The WCC in 1994 set up a Sudan Ecumenical Forum (SEF).
This brought representatives from the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC), based in Khartoum, and the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC), based in the south, together with overseas partners for monitoring and strategizing on “appropriate forms” of ecumenical support.
