At last a truck for CRESS staff
Joseph visits camps in Logo
The following has been taken from an update sent out by The Sudan Link, part of the Diocese of Salisbury and written by The Revd. Jane Shaw. It is an accurate account and we thought should be shared with you.
More fighting:
Government forces have attacked and taken Maiwut (Upper Nile), and threaten the rebel base at Pagak, in defiance of the President’s unilateral ceasefire; opposition spokesmen claim they are targeting civilians. President Kiir failed to attend a church service for peace and reconciliation in which he, government officials, community and religious leaders were all booked to speak. The Troika (USA, UK, Norway) and the EU threaten to stop funding the activities and institutions set up to implement the Peace Agreement, as “they cannot contribute to peace without the meaningful inclusion of all parties to the conflict”; they also doubt the government’s commitment to peace through the National Dialogue. Pray for a genuine desire for peace among the protagonists, and some breakthrough in the stalled peace process.
Economic woes:
The collapsing economy has many repercussions: Wau reports a dramatic rise in HIV infections, attributed to the economic situation and a rise in rape cases. The SS embassy in Uganda may close because of rent arrears; the diplomats have not been paid for several months and the issue of passports and ID cards has stopped. This is also true of other embassies. Another source of difficulty is the fall armyworm, which destroys maize crops but also eats sorghum, millet and vegetables – this may well exacerbate existing food shortages. Pray for all who are affected by lack of food or money, or whose crops have failed.
