Please Pray for Sudan

Only 4 days from now....this Sunday...on January 9, Sudan will hold a referendum vote to decide its future. This will be a historic day for Sudan, as the people of Southern Sudan will decide whether to remain in a united Sudan, or to secede and establish their own nation. Voting will be held in Sudan on Sunday, but it will take 2-4 days for votes to be counted.

This referendum vote is a huge part of the Peace Agreement that was signed 6 years ago which ended 20 years of civil war in Sudan, where over 2 million people lost their lives. This is no small matter, and the country really needs prayers beginning now! There will be huge implications whatever the outcome is on Sunday. People who have been displaced from their homes by the war, are now giving up their jobs and their "new life" to return home to vote. People are flooding into Southern Sudan right now.
If Sudan splits, a new country will be formed that will need much outside aid, lots of development and many people praying for them. And if Sudan remains as one country, it will face MAJOR challenges in uniting the north and south under a new federal government, and in helping the South to bring fair government and development in rural areas, especially in the human rights sector.

One positive thing is that the Christian church in Sudan has agreed to remain as one church. But it will really need to support those churches in the north, because the north will be in a new Islamic state, should Sudan decide to split.
There are huge tensions and expectations on all sides about a likely outcome for Sudan and much political wrangling over power and wealth distribution. There is also much argument over the actual border line between North and South Sudan, because much of this area runs through rich oil fields. This could easily become a source of new conflict. Whatever happens, in a country more used to fighting than talking and with so much at stake for all involved there is a huge potential for violence and bloodshed at this time.

On a side note...in what many are saying is just strictly politics, the U.S. has placed an embargo on all mail from East Africa to the U.S. right now. It began on December 15, and we're not sure when it will be lifted. We can still receive mail, but can't send anything out! Most say that the embargo is a direct effect of the political climate in Sudan, because the U.S. has a different take on things than Rwanda and other countries. It's all an interesting political game, but I want it to be finished, so I can write a letter to my momma! :-)

Please join me in praying for Sudan this week, and especially on Sunday. Prayer for Sudan at this time of change is very important. January 9th has been requested as a day of prayer in churches in Africa. Pray with us!