February 24, 2005

Dear Friends,

Well, I’m finally back in Africa, where I belong, living in Nairobi for the time being. Before I report on recent events, let me give those of you who aren’t “up” on Sudan a little bit of background information.

Even before its independence on January 1, 1956, from Anglo-Egyptian joint rule (established in 1899), Sudan was at war. It began when southern units of the Sudanese army mutinied because of the dominance of ethnic groups from the north and the west in the post-colonial government. There have been only short breaks from the war since then. The causes of the war are extremely complex, involving race, ethnicity, religion, and economics. The current government of Sudan is dominated by the National Islamic Front, which favors a fundamentalist Islamic government. The people in south Sudan are mostly Christian and traditional religionists. The Nuer, one of the larger ethnic groups in the south, are primarily members of the Presbyterian Church of Sudan (PCOS), which was formed in 1956. In spite of the fact that almost everything related to a civil society has been destroyed and more than four million people are displaced, it is one of the fastest growing Presbyterian churches in the world!

Back to the present day. I’m currently living in Nairobi. We use the Kenyan city of Lokichokio (known to us here as “Loki”) on the border with Sudan as our jumping-off point into Sudan. Akobo is the town where headquarters for the southern segment of PCOS has traditionally been located, and where the humanitarian assistance organization of the PCOS—the Presbyterian Relief and Redevelopment Agency (PRDA)—has a small facility. We hope to get it in full operation again, but we may still keep most of our supplies in Loki because they will be safer.

And now the sad news. Akobo was attacked and overrun by militia during the night of February 17. The SPLA, with help from the town’s people, managed to retake it the next day. The satellite phone given to me before I left western North Carolina has really come in handy. With it, we were able to get on-the-spot reports from the Akobo county commissioner as things unfolded. The PRDA facility was looted, but our guys got away using the PRDA boat. Nine SPLA soldiers were killed that we know of, but details are still sketchy at this time.

The big problem with all this is that donors look at Akobo as unstable and insecure and will not want to invest the resources needed to make things better. It’s a “Catch 21” situation. Things are bad largely because the area has been neglected, and Akobo will continue to be neglected because the situation is unstable (bad).

I hope I can get up to Akobo by April. Right now, I’m in a lot of meetings, as the PRDA works to develop an “administrative infrastructure.” Transportation is a real problem; we need a small pickup or something. And we need better Internet access from the PRDA office. I am sending everything from a cyber cafe for the time being, and it’s very inconvenient (and slow). But, I’m back in Africa, which is where God wants me. So I am blessed!

Keep us all in your prayers.

In His grip,

Joe