It seemed like it would be weird to publish Muslim Connect on Halloween and not make mention of it. So I began composing in my head and quickly realized I was rewriting a post from seven years ago! Here it is, if you’re interested. I will say the asterisk reference in the title still makes me laugh! (Fair warning: You might not share my sense of humor.)
In much sadder news, a tactical shift in the two and a half year war in Sudan has resulted in an increase in atrocities. (“How long, O Lord?”) A retreat by the government military made way for the dominating paramilitary to move into the last key holdout city in the west part of the country. They (the Rapid Support Forces or RSF) celebrated the end of their 18 month siege of El Fashur with a fresh rampage of death and destruction.
The near term outlook is not good and the stats are devastating: Perhaps as many as 150,000 killed, 12,000,000 displaced (including 4,000,000 refugees), 30,000,000 require urgent humanitarian aid, half of whom are children.
Silver linings are few and hard to find. But there is this: The other guys who didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize this year are the Sudanese Emergency Response Rooms. They are “a grassroots, community-led network that has become the backbone of the country’s humanitarian response amid war, displacement and state collapse. Building on local traditions of mutual aid, ERRs operate in all 18 states, providing healthcare, food assistance, education, civilian protection and psychosocial support where many international aid organizations cannot reach. Their work has sustained millions and champions a model of decolonized humanitarian aid that restores dignity and decision-making power to local communities.”
I suspect the Church has much to learn from ERRs and encourage you to look into their efforts and successes as we continue to pray for all of God’s truth and goodness to grow in Sudan, this land that he loves so much. (Here’s a link to a chatgpt overview with links to sources.)