Sudan sits atop the ethnic and religious faultline that separates black African Christian and animist peoples from Arab Muslims. The Southern Sudanese have been engaged in a civil war for independence for decades now, but when Shar'ia (Islamic) law was imposed on the nation in 1983 by Gaafar Nimeiri, the civil war entered a new era of jihad (Islamic holy war). This was due to pressure from the National Islamic Front (NIF). The NIF / Government of Sudan (GOS) coalition came to power through the 1989 coup, and is now engaged in aggressive jihad against the African, predominantly Christian, southerners who resist Arab Muslim domination and the enforcing of Islamic law.

For the past 17 years, Christian civilians in Southern Sudan have lived under constant aerial bombardment of their homes, hospitals, schools and churches. They face slave raids, scorched earth attacks that leave their villages desolate, chemical weapon bombardment and enforced starvation where food is withheld as a weapon of mass destruction. Some 60,000 southerners were starved to death in a matter of weeks in February - April 1998 when the GOS imposed a humanitarian aid flight blockade on Bahr el Gazal.

In the past 6-7 weeks, the Southern People's Liberation Army (SPLA) has made significant advances, capturing several strategic garrison railway towns as well as a vital supply bridge at Lol. This threatens the survival of other GOS held garrison towns, with their supply lines now cut. The GOS has also suffered very heavy losses of both military personnel and weaponry. In a desperate attempt to secure by force a much needed ceasefire, the GOS closed air space to aid flights into the south, accusing aid groups of supporting and arming the SPLA. All aid groups deny this accusation. (Starvation would weaken the SPLA also.)

In addition, the GOS has waged a decisive aerial campaign against humanitarian organisations in Southern Sudan. In the past few weeks it has bombed planes, airstrips, clinics, distribution points and compounds used by the UN, Doctors Without Borders, International Red Cross, Samaritan's Purse, Tear Fund and others, dropping over 250 bombs in 33 separate raids in July alone.

On 8 August 2000, UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, suspended all UN relief flights into Southern Sudan due to security concerns. An immediate international outcry led to President Beshir's personal assurances for the safety of UN relief flights. The UN accordingly resumed humanitarian flights on Wednesday 16 August. (GOS had previously denied that any humanitarian aid sites had been bombed.) As more than 1 million Southern Sudanese are facing the threat of starvation, it must be our prayer that aid distribution will not be interferred with in the name of war.

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