AFRICA/SUDAN - Reconciling hearts, a priority for the local Catholic Church

Thursday, 22 September 2005

Khartoum (Fides Service)- “I see many projects for rebuilding infrastructures but few to rebuild our civil society” a missionary with 20 years of experience in southern Sudan said after the formation of the new government. “We missionaries seem to be the only ones concerned with reconciling hearts full of hatred accumulated in over 20 years of civil war. This task will take a long time, but the Church was here all through the war and its mission will not stop now that peace has been restored”.
“I see UN agencies and many NGOs all involved in projects for roads and schools etc.,” the missionary said. “This is all useful but I wonder if these project will solve the emergencies of Sudan: people die of malaria and harvests are conditioned by the whims of the weather: no rain, no harvest and people risk of starvation”.
On 20 September after weeks of difficult discussion the first Sudanese government of national unity was formed. This step was an important point in the peace agreement signed on 9 January this year by the Khartoum regime and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement former rebels. The interim government includes five women - two ministers, two deputy ministers and a presidential advisor. According to the agreement the interim executive will govern until legislative elections are organised and this must be within four years. With regard to the future of Sudan, according to the peace agreement July marked the start of a six year transition period which will end with a referendum of self-determination for Southern region of the country now with its own amply empowered regional administration which, in the case of a vote for secession, would become the embryo of a government for an independent Southern Sudan.
“We will carry on our work while waiting to see how the transition accord goes and the outcome of the referendum on whether the regions of Nuba Mountains, Abiye and Blue Nile will be administered by Khartoum or the south” the missionary said. The referendum on these three regions could be held in about 6 months time. “Whatever the case we will have to establish relations with the new southern Sudan administration” the missionary added. “The process has still to be clarified and at the moment we don’t even know where the capital city will be Juba or Rumbek. The choice is not neutral because it could condition the flow of state aid and funds favouring some zones more than others. The territory of southern Sudan is immense and hopefully the administration will not discriminate between areas”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 22/9/2005 righe 37 parole 482)


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