Jesus, you bless the peacemakers and comfort those who mourn.
We pray to you for all people affected by the conflict in Sudan.
May there be hope for healing in the region.
Console with your presence all who are fearful, exhausted, and grieving.
Jesus, you were carried into Egypt in your mother’s arms, in search of safety.
We pray to you for those crossing into South Sudan to escape the violence.
May they have food, water, support and a secure place to stay.
Shelter with your love all who have had to leave their homes and face an uncertain future.
Jesus, you challenge us to love our neighbour, to do good, and to seek justice.
We pray that those who have the power and resources to act will turn their attention to this crisis.
May the supplies and assistance that are so desperately needed come quickly.
Strengthen through your spirit all who are pursuing peace.
Most of us have been well aware and horrified by the crisis in Gaza where tens of thousands have died and many thousands more are contending with insufficient food aid and even starvation. I've seen suggestions that this is the worst humanitarian situation on the planet but while what is happening in Gaza is terrible there is another crisis, a civil war which has unfolded in Sudan over the past three years or more, that doesn't get the attention it deserves. Huge numbers of people have been displaced because of the conflict and, again, thousands are dying due to starvation.
Now there are reports of mass killings by rebels. Here are a few paragraphs from a Globe and Mail article yesterday by Geoffrey York:
Massacres of civilians in Darfur this week have become so extensive that the pools of blood in the streets can be detected from space, an analysis of satellite images has found.
By Tuesday morning, more than 2,000 unarmed civilians – mostly women and children – had been killed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after its capture of the besieged city of El Fasher, according to a coalition of Darfur militia forces affiliated with the Sudanese army.
The Sudan war, which erupted in 2023 after a power struggle between Sudan’s army and the RSF, is considered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. It has forced 12 million people from their homes, killed hundreds of thousands and left 30 million people in need of emergency aid.
A humanitarian agency, Médecins sans frontières (Doctors Without Borders), screened 165 children who fled from El Fasher last week and found that 75 per cent were acutely malnourished. “This shocking rate is a testament to the horror unfolding in El Fasher,” it said in a report.
It's hard not to feel helpless in the face of so many needs. We know that in Canada there is a growing resistance to welcoming refugees and migrants. We seem to be adopting a "charity begins at home" mentaility, although Canadians are less inclined to compassionate giving anywhere these days. We musn't turn away and as Christians we can't flag in our commitment to stay informed, to pray and to act as we are able.
Here is a BBC explainer about the situation in Sudan:
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/simple-guide-happening-sudan-150049278.html
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