Religious Liberty Prayer List – No. 139 – Wed 17 Oct 2001

****** PLAN TO PARTICIPATE IN IDOP: 4-11 NOVEMBER 2001 ****** * The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church * * To request resources – Australia: * * Canada: USA: * * Globally elsewhere: * *************************************************************

Persecution has been severe and unrelenting in Sudan, primarily in the South, since 1986 when the Arab Government of Sudan (GoS)

decided to Islamise the nation and introduce Sharia Law. The black African Christian and animist peoples of the South have resisted this but the GoS offensive is violent, merciless and driven by the Islamic notion of jihad. It includes brutal, institutionalised slavery on a massive scale, constant bombing, massacres and scorched-earth raids led by GoS and other Islamic jihad forces. Food is withheld and torture is used to force conversions to Islam.

Many of the mujahidin are veterans of the Afghan war who settled in Sudan with Osama bin Laden, who allegedly set up mujahidin training camps there like those in Afghanistan. President Bashir himself shamelessly refers to the civil war in the South as a jihad.

Mohammed Saeed Mohammed Omer is a young Sudanese who became a Christian last December while studying in India. While back in Khartoum, his own family had him arrested. He was beaten and tortured (three fingernails pulled out) and forced to sign documents promising not to attend church. However, he refused to renounce his faith in Christ. Two other new believers, Alladin Omer Ajjabna (who had already suffered greatly) and Nasir Hassan, ‘disappeared’ from Khartoum four days after Mohammed’s arrest.

By razing entire regions, the GoS also inflicts mass starvation on the Southern Sudanese, killing tens of thousands at a time. It is the inveterate practice of the GoS to block humanitarian aid to Southern regions or else permit its delivery to coincide with their massacres and slave raids, with the intention of also taking the delivered food and medical supplies. Humanitarian organisations that work tirelessly for Sudan are constantly being hamstrung, frustrated and attacked, serving at great personal risk.

On Friday 5 October, a UN World Food Program (WFP) aircraft, whose flight plans had been lodged as required and cleared with GoS officials, set off to drop food at the village of Mangayath in Bahr el-Ghazal state. Over 20,000 displaced people had fled there, with some 1,000 refugees from the fighting in nearby Raja arriving daily. Just moments before the WFP aircraft was due, GoS Antonov bombers flew over and dropped 15 high explosive shrapnel-loaded bombs around the airstrip, killing one person and injuring 14 others. WFP reported that they were ‘forced to temporarily suspend food distribution for one day, however upon resumption (Saturday)

the area once again came under attack’ with another 15 bombs dropped. Bombing resumed on Monday 8 October, so the WFP evacuated their personnel and abandoned their plans to deliver aid.

Abdelrahman Hamza, director of the GoS spokesman’s office stated predictably that there were no military operations in the area and that he had no information about the bombings. ‘All I know is that the southern region these days is tranquil,’ he said.

The international community needs to recognise that the Islamic GoS is a perpetrator of continual terror upon its own citizens, especially Christians, and that the victims who are Arab converts and black Africans are just as worthy of protection as Americans and other Westerners.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR:

* divine protection for Alladin Omer Ajjabna and Nasir Hassan who have ‘disappeared’ from Khartoum, and that they will have an abiding strong sense of God’s presence.

* God’s peace and protection for Mohammed Saeed Mohammed Omer, that his faith will be steadfast and he will be richly rewarded spiritually amidst his extreme suffering and loss of family.

* great spiritual wisdom for the pastors of the Church in Khartoum which is suffering persecution, trauma and harassment; may the believers remain strong in their faith and be a witness to all who see their righteousness.

* strength and protection for all Sudanese pastors and evangelists as they face the traumas and aim to meet the needs of this amazing Church that is growing in spite of extreme persecution.

* the longsuffering people of Southern Sudan facing daily the GoS jihad; may God overthrow the horrific evils of slavery, massacre, torture and forced mass starvation; the plight of Bahr el-Ghazal.

* the international community to recognise and restrain Islamic oppression in all its forms worldwide. ‘The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice.’ Isaiah 59:15b

SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE: ——————————————————————- THE JIHAD INTENSIFIES IN SUDAN

Terror has marked the Arab Islamic Government of Sudan’s (GoS) rule since it decided to subject all Sudanese to Islamic Sharia Law. The black African Christian and animist population of the South have long resisted this. The GoS uses massacre, slavery on a massive scale, torture, mutilation, scorched earth raids and mass starvation as weapons of war. On 5, 6 & 8 October, the GoS bombed a UN World Food Program aid delivery site, forcing its suspension. Persecution of Christians in Khartoum also has increased recently. Mohammed Saeed Mohammed Omer became a Christian last December while studying in India. His own family has had him arrested in Khartoum. Two other new believers, Alladin Omer Ajjabna and Nasir Hassan, ‘disappeared’ there four days later. Mohammed has been beaten and tortured but he has refused to renounce his faith in Christ.

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