General Background:

Stretching for ¼ of the length of Africa, Sudan is bordered, in the north, by Egypt, in the west by Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the south by Uganda and Kenya and Ethiopia and in the east by Eritrea and the Red Sea.

It is often commented that Sudan is really two countries in one. Broadly speaking, the North is Islamic, whilst the South has been shaped by Christian missionary endeavours.

Khartoum, the capital city, forms the meeting point of the two main tributaries of the River Nile, as it begins its journey towards the Mediterranean Sea. The dichotomous nature of Sudan is further displayed when it comes to the environment, with the North dominated by arid, semi-desert regions and the South with broad plains and increased rainfall.

Since independence, Sudan has been devastated by conflict. War and a series of famine-related effects resulted in 4 million people displaced and more than 2 million deaths since 1982, until a peace agreement was signed in 2005. More recently, the western region of Darfur has suffered with nearly 2 million people displaced, and around 300,000 dead as a result of civil war.

In the South, where all of our partners are based, the current situation is still quite fluid as the fledgling independent government tries to govern in a fragile situation.

Mission in Sudan: Challenges and Opportunities

Southern Sudan is certainly not the easiest place in the world to work. The roads are poor, communication is difficult, health care is limited and there is little mains water or drainage. In short, decades of conflict have wreaked havoc on the local infrastructure. Many of the obvious problems are exacerbated by the influx of tens of thousands of refugees and internally displaced people returning home.

However the Church is making significant inroads into communities and is working to share the love of Christ in word and deed. Evangelism, leadership training, education, health care and vocational skills are significant priorities across all of CMS Ireland’s partner dioceses.

CMS Ireland is: partnered with Yei, Maridi, Kajokeji and Madi-West Nile dioceses; maintains links with Bishop Allison Theological College and has connections with the Church in Yambio, Ibba, Ezo and Rumbek.

In recent years these links have resulted in: significant investment in Yei Vocational Training Centre ; the building of Chaima Bible School ; the construction and rehabilitation of primary schools in Maridi ; and Yei and the establishment of the Healthline Sudan programme.