Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is saddened and concerned to learn of Sudanese Vice President John Garang’s death in a helicopter crash on July 31, 2005. Garange, the former leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) was integral to the peace process that ended more than twenty years of civil war between Sudan’s northern Islamic government and its largely Christian and animist population in the south.

Unfortunately, with the news of Garang's death there have been reports of violent outbreaks in the streets, looting, fires, and clashes with police. But members of the SPLM and the government in Khartoum have vowed to maintain the peace agreement that was signed in January of this year.

The Sudan Advocacy Action Forum has issued a condolence message on their Web site.