June 2023
I Peter 5:6ff “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt your, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
Those closing words are among the final thoughts Peter shared with the suffering believers of Asia in his first epistle. They remind us that our “brotherhood” has been suffering for the name of Jesus for 2,000 years. The promises the words contain are meant to give believers courage and hope, no matter the set of circumstances they are facing. The warnings and commands contained would have us be alert against the fiery darts of the evil one, while standing firm in faith, hope, and in support of His suffering community.
In this message, I want to place before you the fresh opportunities I have received from our Sudanese partners to serve believers who have been caught up in the horrible violence which has been occurring in the region of the capital, Khartoum, and even more so all over Darfur, since April 15.
My hope and prayer are that your church, small group, Sunday school class, or just you as an individual, can enable CRM to respond. Your gifts thus far have enabled us to evacuate and provide care for 30 people from Darfur all the way to Arua, Uganda. For believers remaining behind in Sudan, we have provided funds for food and water, and for purchasing airtime for cell phones.
Nuoman Alsadiq reached out to people in Nyala, and he wrote:
“Al-Geneina (West Darfur State) became devastated within these 3 weeks. We have no network, and all kinds of criminal acts are still taking place up to this time I write. We had believers in possession of dialysis, and they all died, including Muslims, too. The situation is very tragic. Please have mercy on us. help us so that we can leave this area. We only need transport to get out of this area. Even if we just travelled to Nyala, it is better than staying in Al-Geneina without means to communicate.”
In response to Alsadiq’s message, I asked Alamadin how many people are involved. He said 270, including children and adults. He said Land Cruisers are ferrying people and charge $15 per person. He added that $5 per person would be needed for food and water along the way. That amount would total $5,400. These are all Christian households.
I also asked him where the people would lodge in Nyala and how they would survive. He replied that they have been told people are living in schools, mosques, and other public places. He added that many of these folks may have relatives in Nyala who will take them in. So, while he cannot supply me with a definitive answer, He knows that these people would have a better chance of surviving there.
What I do know, is that what Alsadiq wrote matches everything I have read online about events in Al-Geneina on Radio Dabanga and the Sudan Tribune. Just yesterday I read an article which mentioned that the RSF and other militias have blocked the main road between Al-Geneina and the border with Chad. A Google search reveals entries for June 1 which state that over 100,000 people have already crossed over into Chad, and the UN expects that number to climb to 300,000 within months. Before this new conflict started, Chad already hosted approximately 600,000 Sudanese refugees.
Here is another message Alamadin received, translated into English, and sent to me yesterday.
Muhammad Ismail from Kutum (Kutum is in N. Darfur State, near the border with the West Darfur State)
“We are so sorry that things in Sudan go to the worst. We lost five Christian families and forty-five Muslim families in Kutum. There are unknown numbers that are wounded. Since Saturday up today, they are still collecting wounded people. Fatima, who gave believers her home to pray in had her house burned to ashes. Her two daughters and husband were killed by Militias. Fatima’s husband’s shop was burned into ashes. She is not happy but she surprised all Muslims there. Muslims came and told her that ‘we told you to believe in Allah and that he would protect you.’ But what she said was, “My God himself gave his own son to save mankind. What about me, a human being, whom death is an obligation? I am like the rest of the people who lost their family members. You people are supposed to comfort me instead of blaming me. But I believe it’s our enemy who blinds you, and you are only able to work for him.” This was a big issue for Muslims. People divided some of them who said she was right. Others said she is not supposed to defend even the big issue. But she said, “ If you knew Jesus, you would act like a guilty person in the court. But unfortunately, the Devil is not happy with you. “One of the relatives was not happy with what she was saying, and he struck her, and she is also among the dead. Dear all, please pray for her two surviving children.
Among the five families survived were Fatima’s two other children and Radhid, whose kids and wife were also dead.
Please pray for the peace of mind and the physical support for believers in Kutum have lost most of their families and properties.”
Today I received the below message from Alamadin regarding 13 believers in Khartoum who now believe they will die if they do not flee to South Sudan.
[6/7, 3:06 AM] Alamadin Sudan All: We have 13 people from Khartoum who are in dangerous situations. They need to be evacuated. These are disciples even if we take them to South Sudan. Salim told me that they were hoping that the war would end, but what they see it is not going to end soon. So please pray for these people that God will provide for them to leave Khartoum.
This is the list of these people who will be evacuated.
Deacon Salim
Manasik Abdulazim
Yusra Mubarak
Mujahid Abbo
Jalal Barji
Manasic Fukka
Muhammad Adam
Isa Hamid
Harun Yagub
Yousif Hamid
Muhammad Hamid
Harun Muhammad
Umalguran Adam
[6/7, 6:31 AM] Alamadin Sudan All: There are buses up to Obeid, and then they go on by lorries to South Sudan border.
Alamadin has not yet sent any information regarding what bus fare between Khartoum and Obeid costs. What I know is that all news reports state that bus fares have shot up due to the cost and scarcity of fuel, the dangers involved, etc. So prices probably vary on a daily basis.
In conclusion, I remained convinced that it was the Lord Jesus who led me to meet Adam Haroun briefly for the first time in 2011. Then in 2015, I met up with him in a meeting in which he shared his testimony and challenged everyone there. I knew then that I would someday work with him. In 2019, the Lord made that happen by allowing us to lead two CRM teams to train Sudanese MBBs living on refugee status in Uganda. The first of the two trainings happened just days before the dictator Omar Bashir was removed from power. Since May of 2019, through partnering with Adam, Alamadin, and the other leaders in their network, CRM has played a significant role in enabling them to share a first-time gospel witness with hundreds of thousands of Muslim Darfurians.
Presently we are at another pivotal stage. We now see that the Lord in His providence made all the above happen before evil people under Satan’s control would take Sudan back to war. The Lord is still on His throne. He is still in control of human history. His purposes for His people remain holy and good. He will show Sudanese believers how to respond to this new set of circumstances. The devil’s plans will be defeated. Jesus “will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish” His people.
Our privilege, as believers living in a completely different environment, is to pray for and stand with our “brotherhood throughout the world.”
David Crane