British church leaders pledge solidarity with South Sudanese Christians as civil war looms

British church leaders have committed to stand in solidarity with Christians in South Sudan as the country teeters on the brink of a full-scale civil war.

South Sudan became the world’s youngest independent sovereign nation when it separated from Sudan in 2011. Like Sudan, it has been marked by civil conflict for much of its history. Between 2013 and 2018 the country was wracked by civil war between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those who followed his Vice-President, Riek Machar. Although that war officially ended in 2018, conflict continued in parts of the country because of inter-tribal rivalry and the refusal of smaller armed groups to lay down their arms.

According to the report, larger-scale fighting broke out again last year and Machar was arrested. The country’s first national elections since independence are due in seven weeks. With the main opposition leader in jail and conflict worsening, it is unknown whether the results will be accepted, or whether the elections will take place at all.

In October, Christian Aid and the Church of England convened a meeting of British and South Sudanese church leaders and interested NGOs. In a letter to attendees, the Rev Tut Kony Nyang Kon, General Secretary of the South Sudan Council of Churches, said, “We long for an end to violence, killings and insecurity that have plagued our society for too long. We are working tirelessly to mobilise communities for peace and to build bridges between different groups. We pray for and encourage political actors to prioritise dialogue over confrontation at this juncture of our fragile political transition and ask for your support in this.”

In a joint response, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Richard Moth, and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland General Assembly, Gordon Kennedy, said, “We have heard your longing for peace and have seen your efforts to mobilise communities to build bridges. Your role in peacebuilding is known around the world. In the coming months, it can prevent even greater suffering affecting the people of South Sudan, at this critical and volatile time in the run-up to elections.

“We commit to stand with you, in solidarity, in prayer and in the spirit of the Ecumenical Peace Pilgrimage. We also know that far more than elections will be needed for peace. We pray that leaders will have priorities aligned with the heart of Jesus Christ.”

The Council of Churches’ efforts to mobilise communities and build bridges between groups are the kind of local peacemaking the leaders named in their response, a pattern that echoes the call to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9).

Source: Read the original report