Praying with Sudanese refugees at this time
Samuel Luak is Welcome Churches South of England Church Engagement Officer. Samuel is Sudanese himself, so is excellently placed to help guide us to know how to respond to the recent events unfolding in Khartoum, and the rest of Sudan. Here he shares his thoughts on what is happening, and how we can respond:
On Saturday 15 April, fighting erupted in Khartoum between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan. As a result, many people have been killed, many people are missing, many people are wounded, and many people have left for neighbouring countries. The Sudanese diaspora in the UK have friends and family in Sudan in each of these situations and some have lost loved ones in the last few weeks.
It is difficult to access water and electricity in Khartoum right now, as well as other services such as the internet; withdrawing money from the banks has become practically impossible. The supermarkets are running out of goods, which is also making life more and more difficult.
Churches in Khartoum have been burnt down in recent weeks, as people who do not like Christians are using the opportunity to target churches. Their hope is that the Christians will leave and not return to the city. For believers in Khartoum, some have left already, some have relocated to other parts of the city and some are stuck and fear for their lives – especially those who have converted to Christianity from Islam. The government was giving some protection to Christian believers, but with the weakening of government control now these people feel more vulnerable to attack. The security is very difficult and the safety of Christian believers can no longer be guaranteed here..
For Sudanese refugees in the UK, the present conflict is bringing back the memories of previous wars – many people have come to the UK because of Sudan’s longstanding armed conflicts. They are hearing devastating stories of loved ones, who are missing or have been killed, and these are profoundly impacting their day-to-day lives, here in the UK.
The Church in the UK needs to pray for the situation – for peace and security to return to Sudan. We also need to pray for security for Christians in Khartoum as they are particularly vulnerable to attack from Islamic extremists. The UK Church should also prepare to donate to those who are supporting Sudanese people, both in Sudan and in the UK (such as Welcome Churches). They are likely to be struggling as they hear more and more stories coming out of Sudan, both personally and through the media.
Pray for Sudan
Thursday 4 May, 8-9pm, Zoom
As the conflict in Sudan continues, join us and Sudanese refugees, to pray for Sudan at this time. This prayer time will be run by Samuel Luak from Welcome Churches. Samuel is from Sudan himself and knows many who are personally impacted by the conflict. We invite everyone, including other Sudanese refugees in the UK, to join us as we pray as God’s children together, in Jesus’ name. We also hope to be joined by believers in Khartoum, and Sudanese refugees who have fled to other African nations, should the situation allow.
