May You Declare the Praises of the Lord
Crossing the Borders to Neighboring Countries
South Sudan is a landlocked country in East Africa, bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Kenya.
After a deadly civil war in Sudan, the new country of South Sudan became independent in 2011. Unfortunately, only two years later, in 2013, conflict broke out, leading to a complex and dangerous situation of armed conflict, economic decline, disease, and famine. As a result, millions of people were forced to flee their homes, becoming refugees.
The South Sudanese civil war was a multi-faceted conflict between the government forces and anti-government troops. In December 2013, President Salva Kiir Mayardit accused former Vice President Riek Machar and ten others of attempting a coup. Machar denied the accusation and fled to lead the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). The civil war erupted when fighting broke out between the SPLM and the South Sudanese rebel group (SPLM-IO).
According to the demographics of South Sudanese refugees, over 86% of them are either under 18 (64.8%) or over 18 (21.7%), with only 13.8% of men being over 18 years old. Most of them reside in neighboring countries such as Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Ethiopia hosts approximately 400,000 South Sudanese refugees, making them the largest refugee population in the country. In 2021 alone, about 17,000 new South Sudanese refugees arrived in Ethiopia. In Kenya, most of the more than 130,000 South Sudanese refugees live in Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Settlement in Turkana County. These refugees have received little to no formal education, have never lived in major cities, and have limited exposure to the world beyond South Sudan and its borders. Many refugees fear traveling long distances through unfamiliar territories such as North Sudan, Libya, and Egypt, as well as crossing the Mediterranean Sea. They are also unprepared for Westernized life and therefore do not wish to settle in European cities.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is not pressuring South Sudanese refugees to return, as the current situation does not yet guarantee a sustainable and safe return. However, it acknowledges their right to return and protects those who voluntarily decide to go back. In February 2019, about 800 South Sudanese refugees returned from Uganda, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2021, the humanitarian situation in South Sudan further deteriorated. The country faced social and political instability due to violence and conflict, continuous and unprecedented floods, inflation, the impact of COVID-19, and economic shocks.
Additionally, more than half of the population is experiencing extreme food insecurity and malnutrition, making this one of the world’s worst food crises. The United Nations has warned that two-thirds of the South Sudanese population—8 million people—are facing a severe hunger crisis.
According to AFP and other international news agencies, the United Nations has predicted that South Sudan would face severe food shortages during the lean season from April to July 2023, with 1.4 million children expected to suffer from malnutrition.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, and the World Food Programme (WFP) stated in a joint report that the levels of food insecurity and malnutrition in South Sudan have reached an all-time high.
》Scripture Prayer
(1 Peter 2:4-9,NIV)
4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him
5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
8 and,“A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
》Pray that the Word may become the Conclusion.
1. Before the country was properly established, South Sudan experienced another civil war in 2013 due to political conflict, resulting in 400,000 deaths and more than 30% of the population becoming displaced. Let us pray that the refugees, who have lost their homes and livelihoods, will accept Jesus—the treasure of their lives and their Shepherd— as lord so that their tears may be wiped away and they may receive eternal life and rest.
2. In South Sudan, where the nation has no strength to recover due to countless disasters such as civil war, floods, and food shortages, neither political leaders nor any country can provide real hope. However, let us pray that Jesus Christ—who was rejected by people but chosen by God—will become their living hope.
3. Let us pray that those in South Sudan who find their only living hope in Christ through the cross will arise. Additionally, let us pray that the Church in South Sudan will inherit the Kingdom of God, become a priestly nation interceding for all others, and be established as gospel-bearers, declaring the praises of the Lord.
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