Bishop Toby Howarth, the Bishop of Bradford, has returned from an incident filled visit to the Sudan as part of a small group from the diocese - the first time a diocesan group visit has taken place to the companion link dioceses in North Africa.
During their two week visit, the group experienced being turned off a bus by a local armed state security policeman, a drive through the bush at night time to evade a checkpoint, blazing daytime temperatures of 44 degrees, and the experience of meeting displaced Christians who have fled fighting in the Nuba mountains and are eking out a meagre living in the parched wastelands of southern Sudan.
Taking part in the visit with Bishop Toby was Pudsey curate, Ben Randall and John Poole of the Sudan Link Working Group. The group travelled from Britain with Bishop Abdu Al-Nur Kodi, the Bishop of Port Sudan, and Bishop Hassan James the assistant Bishop of Kadugli who had been visiting West Yorkshire & the Dales as part of a visit to the UK.
(Pictured above left, Bishop Toby (centre) with with Ishaq Kodi the Diocesan relief & development officer, visiting schools in townships west and north of Omdurman.)
Not everything on the visit went to plan. During an attempt to travel to a Christian celebration in Kassala the group was prevented from going further by security police. “At the bus station our travel permits were rejected by the local State Security police” recounted John Poole, “forcing us on an arduous return journey which at times felt like riding a stagecoach through the Wild West. We rolled back into Khartoum 22 hours after our day had begun.”
Christians in Sudan are facing persecution, with whole Christian communities forced out of the country by the Islamic government. The group saw evidence throughout their visit of schools destroyed or homes abandoned.
“We moved on 130 miles east to Gedarif” recounts John Poole, “where Bishop Abdu met us and took us to see the church centre. The original had been bulldozed by the town authorities so the congregation had erected a new place on the outskirts.
“We were there in burning heat, perhaps 44 degrees. The church building (pictured left) has no roof due to lack of funds, so the congregation meets 8:00 to 9:30 and then it’s too hot and they pray at home.”
One of the most challenging experiences says John was leaving the wooded grounds of Wad Medani cathedral to visit the neighbouring township. “We crossed the Blue Nile and were quickly off-road in to what felt like wastelands. Bishop Saman told us that the town’s name, Engaz, means ‘rescued’ … You can only feel that if this is what rescued looks like then the war zones must be utter hell. There is no beauty in Engaz, not a shred of comfort.
“Then you realise that the people are the beauty and comfort of Engaz, people who have fled from the bombs and fighting in the Nuba Mountains. They have built themselves homes and are seeking a peaceful life for their families. They have built a church centre where 110 people meet, led by an industrious minister, Khamis, who works as a carpenter. They find beauty and comfort, strength and encouragement in their Lord and Saviour.
“For the congregation, every Monday and Friday are days of prayer and fasting. They have a vision for expanding their church centre, creating shops on the boundary of the land to generate income for church work. Their plan is to build a school so their children can be educated, but gathering funding is very slow as these Nuba Christians are listed as amongst the poorest people in the world.
“There are many displaced people and refugees in the area but the church has nothing to give them, and there are no schools for the children, so no education. … They are themselves struggling to make a living, but feel keenly the destitution of displaced people and refugees moving through.”
An open meeting is currently being planned by the Sudan Link Working Group to report on the findings from the visit. For more about the Sudan link visit www.westyorkshiredales.anglican.org/sudan