Appeal of the Catholic Bishops of Eastern Africa for Peace in the Sudan

We, the Catholic Bishops of the Association of the Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa (AMECEA) assembled in Nairobi from July 26th to August 8th for the triennial Plenary Meeting of the Bishops of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, feel obliged to address to you this appeal for the Sudan.

We consider it our duty to draw the attention of the United Nations and the World Community to the human tragedy unfolding in the Sudan because of the Civil War raging there with devastating effects for Southern Sudan, the Nuba Mountains, the Ingessana hills and Eastern Sudan. We further wish to mention the several instances of gross violations of human rights practised in that country by the Sudan Government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army, both of which sponsor and support several military groups whose target of operations is usually the civilian population.

The Civil War in the Sudan has assumed savage, fratricidal and genocidal dimensions for the last sixteen (16) years. We came to know that it has claimed almost 2 million lives, most of them of innocent civilians. It has caused the displacement of over 4 million persons, many of whom are refugees within our Region. Furthermore the prolonged instabilities of the Sudan has affected the neighbouring countries. 

From various reliable reports, particularly those of the Rapporteurs of the United Nations Human Rights Commission (e.g. Drs. Gaspar Biro, and Leonard Franco), other U.N. envoys to the Sudan, and the U.S. Department of State, we remind you of what is happening in the Sudan as regards human rights : - 
- undue restrictions on the freedom of worship and of practice of faith by non-Muslims;
 - slavery and related practices; 
- torture of persons in security detention; 
- extra-judicial punishment and executions; 
- disappearances of persons; 
- lack of freedom of expression; laws, attitudes and practices discriminative towards non-Arabs and non-Muslims; 
- the manipulation of the media in favour of all that is Muslim and Arab to the exclusion of other religious and ethnic groups; 
- the lack of genuine dialogue between Christians and Muslims because of political manipulations; 
- the use of food for proselytism or as a weapon of war, 
- and the systematic depletion and expropriation of property and resources of the population in the war zones. 

We strongly plead that the two Sudanese priests and more than 20 lay people imprisoned in August 1998, be promptly released.

We denounce in a special way the Sudan Government's indiscriminate aerial bombardment of civilian targets in nearly all the areas affected by the war. Furthermore we deplore the Sudan Government's policy of preventing relief food to famine stricken areas of Southern Sudan, the Nuba Mountains and the Ingessana Hills. To add to all this we are alarmed by the increasing number of refugees, most of them young people and intellectuals, that flood the neighbouring countries.
 

The Sudanese in the areas we have mentioned have suffered enough. We realise that their sufferings cannot be adequately as long as the civil war continues. The war in fact has assumed truly genocidal dimensions.

As the Shepherds and Spiritual leaders in this Region, we join the Holy Father, John Paul II, who repeatedly pleaded for peace in Sudan, and appeal to the United Nations and the entire International Community to come to the assistance of the war beleaguered of the Sudan, and to exert all effort to : 

1) - take decisive measures to put an affective end to the war in the Sudan;
2)- fully support the IGAD Forum and urge it to exert more determined effort and in accordance with its Declaration of Principles to bring a just and lasting peace to the Sudan;
3) - protect and defend innocent civilians by curbing any aerial bombardments of civilians;
4) - ensure the unconditional delivery of relief to all areas in the war zones affected by famine due either to military operations or to natural causes;
5) - curb military and government-sponsored militia raids on civilian villages;
6) - decisively halt the abduction of children and women into slavery.

We appeal that the International Community awake to the tragedy enfolding in the Sudan. We appeal for immediate action to end this tragedy. We hope and pray that all will work together for a speedy, just and peaceful resolution of the armed conflict in the Sudan.

We express our appreciation for the concern shown by the Rapporteurs of the United Nations Commission for Human Rights, the United States Congress and Senate, the American Bishop's Conference, and several other persons, Governments and organisations that struggle in their own way to restore peace in the Sudan.

Yours sincerely,

H.G. Mgr. Josaphat L. LEBULU
Archbishop of Arusha (Tanzania)
Chairman of AMECEA

Copies : 
1) - The Secretariat of State (Vatican City)
2) - O.A.U
3) - The European Union
4) - The United States
5) - The Members of IGAD
6) - The IGAD Partners Forum
7) - The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)

This appeal was signed by

1 (one) Bishops of Eritrea     3 (three) Bishops of Ethiopia
16 (sixteen)Bishops of Kenya    5 (five) Bishops of Malawi
10 (ten) Bishops of Sudan     24 (twenty four) Bishops of Tanzania
13 (thirteen) Bishops of Uganda   8 (eight) Bishops of Zambia
1 (one) Bishop of Somalia (the Episcopal Conference of Somalia is affiliated member of AMECEA)
81 (eighty) Bishops of 9 (nine) countries of Eastern Africa.