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Lopez Lomong’s Run Towards Peace

Wednesday, October 6th, 2010

Lopez Lomong / Photo Courtesy of Sudan Sunrise

Like so many of those touched by the conflicts in Sudan, “Lost Boy” and Team Darfur member Lopez Lomong has quite a story. It is one of great hardship and endurance, yet also of accomplishment and hope. When Lopez was six years old, he was kidnapped while attending a Catholic mass in his native Kimotong, in the south of Sudan. He eventually escaped from the government-supported militia that had abducted him and ran to the Kakuma refugee camp. Lopez ran for two or three days to the camp that would be his home for the next ten years.

He later resettled in the United States to attend high school and later went on to attend Northern Arizona University, where he enjoyed success as a middle distance runner. He made the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track & Field team to compete in the 1,500-meter event. His trip to Beijing would include one other task however: carrying the United States flag at the Opening Ceremony.

Lopez is again thinking of the Kimotong Reconcilation Church, the site of his abduction almost twenty years ago. He intends to help rebuild the church with the help of Sudan Sunrise, an organization founded to promote reconciliation between Christians, Muslims, and all Sudanese, and members of the Darfur Students Association at the University of Juba. The church will also double as a community center and provide food and clean water.

Lopez’s project is slated to begin this November. So far, he has raised $21,368 of the $129,412 required for the church’s reconstruction. Please help Lomong reach  his goal and support this project aimed at fostering peaceful relations between Muslims and Christians in Sudan. Projects like Lopez’s will be especially important ahead of the referendum planned for January 2011 as they will strengthen Sudanese civil society.

Stay updated on the project’s progress on Facebook!

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Sudan church leader says elections too flawed to be free and fair

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

A new article from Frederick Nzwili at the Ecumenical News International (ENI) on the Sudan Council of Churches:

Nairobi, 14 April (ENI)–The general secretary of the Sudan Council of Churches – an Orthodox, Protestant and Roman Catholic grouping – has said that current national elections in Africa’s biggest country do not qualify as free and fair.

The Rev. Ramadan Chan Liol, said, however, that the elections should continue since they are a key step in the implementation of the country’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The 2005 accord was signed in Nairobi between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army, ending 21 years of civil war, fought mainly in the south.

The poll, which started on 11 April, has been labelled as the first multi-party elections in Sudan since 1986. In the Islamic-majority north, however, only small opposition parties are running against President Omar al-Bashir and his party.

“The view of the Church is that the whole exercise is one that cannot be described as free and fair,” Chan, a Baptist, told Ecumenical News International in a telephone interview from Khartoum on 14 April.
“There are too many challenges. Peoples’ names are missing from the registers. They are scattered in different rolls in different towns.”

He spoke as the elections entered their fourth day. The polling began facing complaints of delays, confusion over names and symbols, as well as the withdrawal of some candidates. Voting ends on 15 April after a two-day extension by the National Election Commission.

Churches had mobilised people to vote in the presidential, legislative and local elections, according to Chan, but some voters said they were frustrated by boycotts and withdrawals. (more…)

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Faith Community Calls On Congress

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Imam Abdul-Malik, Archbishop Aykazian, Kirk Betts, Ruth Messinger, Galen Carey and Rev. White-Hammond gather in front of the Capitol Building

Last week, I attended a prayer breakfast hosted by the Interfaith Sudan Working Group (ISWG), a coalition of Jewish, Muslim and Christian organizations working together for a lasting peace in Sudan. Since its founding several years ago, the group has held multiple events to raise awareness of the conflict.

The prayer breakfast brought advocates, clergy and Congressional staff together to discuss the need for peace and an end to human suffering in Sudan, particularly as the elections approach.

In working with our coalition and activists, I am constantly struck by the diversity of the movement – people of all ages, political affiliations, faith traditions and life experiences have come together to say that they can no longer “stand idly by.” Faith leaders at the breakfast came from the American Jewish World Service, Muslim Alliance in North America, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Episcopal Church, Lutheran World Relief, the Armenian Church of America, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judiasm and the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Following the breakfast, the Interfaith Sudan Working Group delivered copies of the children’s fairy tale book, Humpty Dumpty, to all 535 Members of Congress as a reminder that the situation in Sudan is fragile and could break at any second. Read more about the event here and email melissa@savedarfur.org to learn about how your faith community can be involved in Sudan advocacy.

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“Blessed are the peacemakers”

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

The Episcopal Church of Sudan’s Provincial Standing Committee – the national policy making body of the Anglican Church in Sudan – released a statement on the current situation in the country at the conclusion of their most recent meeting.

The statement – which addresses the upcoming elections, the peace process, and referendum – is a powerful declaration signed by Sudanese Bishops, Clergy and Laity of the Provincial Standing Committee. The faith community often serves on the front lines of humanitarian crises, and the situation in Sudan is no different. The Sudanese clergy are sounding the alarm as their country has reached a critical moment that requires the attention of not only the faith community, but world governments and international institutions.

Statement from the Episcopal Church of Sudan:

The peace process in Sudan has reached a critical point. With less than five months before National Elections and just over one year to the referendum on southern self-determination, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) is on the brink of collapse due to contentions over the referendum law, the demarcation of the 1st January 1956 borders, and violence recently perpetrated by other armed groups. We, the Provincial Standing Committee of the ECS affirm our role to act urgently to support the implementation of the CPA: through our internal Church networks, our ecumenical and inter-faith partners within Sudan and our international partner support.

We express our sadness at the missed opportunity for making the unity of the Sudan attractive since the signing of the CPA: the lack a reconciliation process, the lack of transparency over the National Census and oil revenues, the failure to repeal or alter laws which are contrary to the spirit of the CPA which guarantees equality and freedom for all, the stalling implementation of the July 2009 Abyei ruling, and the current deadlock over the legislation governing the referendum in Southern Sudan and the popular consultations in Abyei, Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan. Unity has not been made attractive.

You can read the entire statement here.

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Reflections: Faith and Activism

Sunday, November 29th, 2009

16 Days Photos - Will 2Today, 30 November 2009, is the fifth day of our 16 Days Campaign. On this fifth day we’re celebrating faith, human rights and anti-genocide leader, Rev. Gloria White-Hammond. Like the Reverend, I carry my faith with me at all times and it is a vital part of who I am. In addition to helping mold someone into who they are I also feel that faith should and can shape what a person is and does. As an action on this Thanksgiving weekend, I chose to reflect on the role that my faith plays in my work fighting genocide and working to bring peace and stability to the people of Darfur and Sudan.

Living during this time of the world in which we find so many evils, calamities, and tribulations, one can easily become let down with their fellow man. It really doesn’t take much effort or thought to look at what’s going on, and conclude that…“you know, there sure are a lot of problems out there, and I’m just going to worry about myself.”

After all “What can I do”, you ask.

In the Book of Ecclesiastes (3:1-8) God, through Solomon, tells us that there is a time for everything – a season, actually. A season, as you know is a time that has a defined purpose, whether that purpose is defined as weather, war, peace, or harvest, all seasons have a beginning and an end. We’re no different either-though we think of our long lives, they are, in fact, just short seasons in the big picture.

This said, I will not allow myself to be a bystander is these troubled times. I will not allow the seasons of trouble, hunger, genocide, and war to begin before me and end long after I have returned to dust. I will use my faith and resolve and I will be Ecclesiastes. I will be the changes in season that I want to see, and I’ll live well because I’m lucky to live in this time. I will be happy with work done towards the betterment of my fellow man – this because I, as God instructs me, should “enjoy the good of all my labor, for it is the gift of God.”

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Faith Leaders Deliver Message to White House

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

Today, representatives from faith communities nationwide met with Reverend Joshua DuBois, Director of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, to discuss the ongoing violence in Sudan.

At the meeting, a letter from over 1,410 Christian, Jewish and Muslim Clergy was delivered to Dubois as a part of the Moved by Faith Initiative. Coalition Board Members, Ruth Messinger and Gloria White-Hammond along with other faith leaders recognized the fact that President Obama has a lot on his plate, but stressed to Rev. DuBois the importance of Sudan with the elections and the referendum both within the next 18 months. The faith leaders further emphasized that Sudan is at a critical crossroads where sustainable peace can be achieved or the country could plunge back into civil war.

MBF Photo

While this meeting did not mark a huge movement in terms of Sudan policy, it was a unique channel to raise our voice for peace in Sudan within the administration. Bishop David Jones from the Episcopal Church eloquently called for leadership by stating “When the U.S. pays attention, the government of Sudan responds. We need the U.S. to take an interest.”

Reverend Gloria White-Hammond articulated that “the impact of gender-based violence lasts long after the assault and effects the entire fabric of the society.” Archbishop Vicken Aykazian for the Armenian Church of America conveyed a broader message regarding genocide prevention and history. “If justice is not found in Sudan, there will be more genocide. We would like to find ways to end genocide in the 21st century.”

(more…)

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Moved by Faith

Monday, August 24th, 2009

Moved by Faith is a new initiative launched by the Sudan Interfaith Working Group, a coalition of several prominent faith-based organizations. Furthermore, it’s a deep and multifaceted commitment by people of all faiths to work to bring peace to Darfur and Sudan.

Faith-based organizations are integral to the movement and make up a large portion of Save Darfur’s coalition members. Coalition members and partners are not only engaged in domestic and international advocacy work, but also help to save lives on the ground. Since the Darfur genocide began in 2003, multiple faith-based organizations, such as American Jewish World Service and Catholic Relief Services, have supported relief and humanitarian projects in Darfur and Sudan. The movement for peace has, of course, also come from faith communities within Sudan: Muslim Darfuris have been heavily involved in advocacy efforts, and the Sudan Council of Churches recently appealed to the governments of Sudan and South Sudan to resolve their differences in opinion over the referendum law.

This kind of critical engagement by the faith community has borne real results and has helped to relieve suffering across Sudan. In recognition of the importance of people of faith to the movement for peace, the Sudan Interfaith Working Group is asking that faith leaders across the nation sign onto a letter addressed to President Obama, outlining concerns and a path for future action. Congregations can take part in the weekend of prayer and action August 28-30, as well as becoming a Congregation of Conscience.

While the backgrounds of the organizations comprising the Sudan Interfaith Working Group are varied, they are all moved by faith – to act, to help and to lead for peace. We encourage all members of the faith community to join us in bringing attention to the conflict in Sudan and speaking out against the injustices that its people have had to suffer.

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A faith lesson from Kofi Annan, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and 41 others

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

A faith lesson from Kofi Annan, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and 41 others

On June 25, forty-two of Africa’s most prominent civic leaders and justice experts (with a few Nobel laureates—Desmond Tutu, Wangari Maathai, and Wole Soyinka) signed a joint statement that calls on the International Criminal Court to fulfill its duty of bringing justice to Darfur. This comes shortly after the ICC allowed chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo to appeal the decision of dropping charges of genocide against Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir. It also comes shortly before the African Union’s summit in Libya on Wednesday.

In the letter, the signatories state that they are “concerned by the ongoing violence, displacement and repression in Sudan.” They viewed the need for adequate humanitarian assistance and for the ICC to bring Bashir to justice.

The emphasis for their support of the ICC is largely because several African nations are looking to put on the agenda an initiative to undermine the international court at this week’s summit, according to a New York Times op-ed piece by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Annan states in this article that some African leaders are troubled by the fact that the ICC has only charged Africans. However, he feels that a greater focus should be placed on the African victims, not the African leader whose presidency is in question.


Copyright World Economic Forum

Photo by World Economic Forum

So what does this mean for people of faith? The recently re-sparked question of whether the or not the atrocities in Darfur constitute genocide has put the spotlight on semantics. But what about the victims? What about justice?

Whether or not Bashir has committed “genocide” is irrelevant. He has been very much complicit in and behind the slaughter and displacement—along with a plethora of other horrors—of millions. Regardless if the “g” word is used to describe it, it is morally repugnant.

In this situation, what does God command of us? Micah 6:8 comes to mind. “Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God”. As Annan and the signatories of the joint statement mentioned above have indicated, the ICC’s role in bringing justice to Bashir is pivotal. By this act of justice, the man who expelled foreign aid agencies—the bringers of mercy to about 4.7 million Darfuris, inside and out of IDP camps—is out of power. It is only by doing the first of these two commandments that the third is achievable. By seeking to do justice and love mercy, we may walk humbly with our God.

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A Call to the Conscience of Congress

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

Senator Feingold

The constituency of conscience isn’t just me and you. It also includes our elected officials, who themselves can also be counted as activists. Over the past few days, Members of Congress have raised their voices for Darfur by standing up and taking action.

Senator Feingold delivered a powerful message last week at the Religious Action Center‘s Consultation on Conscience. His topic: Darfur.

Senator Feingold shared that his commitment to social justice begins with his Jewish roots. The Holocaust and his family history encouraged him not to stop simply at raising awareness but propelled him to activism. He counted everyone in the room (Jewish leaders from around the country) as a key factor for getting Darfur on the conscience of Congress.

Yet despite all the efforts he noted that the crisis still goes unresolved. Last month, the Sudanese government expelled 13 humanitarian NGOs that provide life saving food, water and medicine to the people of Sudan. He urged the activist community to sound the alarm again.

Feingold was “disappointed that many in the international community have carried on with business as usual.” He called for activists and colleagues to let the world know that it is unacceptable to remain on the sidelines with so many innocent lives at risk.

Feingold’s call to not stand idly by must have been heard.

On Monday, 5 members of congress and 3 movement leaders took direct action in front of the Sudanese embassy. Civil Rights leader Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) decried that “We cannot stand by, watch and wait” for the looming humanitarian crisis to hit the fan, we must act now. And act they did. All 5 members were carted away for civil disobedience, but not before they delivered some powerful messages of their own.

The Embassy of Sudan cited the act as a ploy to capitalize off of the region’s “human tragedies.” Monday’s action will not single handedly be the act that ends the Darfur genocide, but it gave some much needed exposure to the situation.

“If we can help raise awareness and create a sense of urgency and get President Obama more involved, then I think it [arrests] was worth it,” McGovern said.

Moving from awareness to activism is the current task at hand for the constituency of conscience.

“Genocide and mass killings are among the greatest stains on our collective conscience” Feingold said. This week the call to the conscience of Congress was answered, let’s hope it resonates and that others answer the call.

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Interfaith Seder in LA

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

On Sunday, over 200 people gathered at the Los Angeles Federal Building for an Interfaith Seder and rally for urgent action in Darfur hosted by Stop Genocide Now, HOPE and Jewish World Watch.

A note from Naama Haviv of Jewish World Watch, one of the event organizers:

The rally itself was very powerful, with interfaith choirs, Darfuri refugees that drove all the way out from Arizona to be with us, and political leaders all joining us. We had tables set up about four Seder-based themes: Matzah, the Seder Plate, the Four Questions and “In Every Generation” – with actions matched to each of the themes.

Check out photos from the event, and watch LA’s call to action below!

Find an Act Now for Darfur Genocide Prevention Month event near you!  And don’t forget to film a video.

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