Warm greetings to you from Pajok, Sudan! I hope you’re all doing well. I would like to update you on some of the issues here.

ORPHANS
The orphans are　back for their second term school holidays and will report back to school next week. This has been one of the shortest holidays, only 3 weeks.

Sida Beatrice will be sitting for her final exams to complete primary school in November this year. I hope she will do well and join Secondary school next year.

Leju Simon’s the youngest of all; performance has not been good this term. His health has not been good. I’m to take him to see a Doctor as soon as I get the money.

Pray for Faida Beatrice her social behavior has not been good this term and she needs to put certain things right with the Lord.

The rest of the kids are doing well. I’ll send you their thanks letters before I go back to Sudan.

KENNEDY
Our Medical student, Kennedy, has entered in his fourth year of study. He has been sent to Northern Uganda (Padibe in Kitgum) for practical work in a remote area. He will be there for 8 weeks then come back go back to Gulu. He has asked me to request you to help him get a second hand laptop if possible

PAJOK
There is little improvement in social services in Pajok. The road is still in its sorrowful state. The health center is still under that manger tree where Jeff was trying to help treat some patients. Recently death cases have increased mainly amongst children. Cases of malnourishment have increased a lot over the last 2 months. The UN no longer provides food supplies to new returnees. People depend on old food stock that traders bring. Most of the food (cereals)　has lost its　nutrients due to long storage. These food supplies come from either Kenya or Uganda.

CHURCH
The church is doing quite well.　The number of Christians has increased due to more returnees brought in and we intend to plant another church. Also there is a plan underway to construct a permanent church building　but this will not begin until　December 2009. There is not a budget for it but we intend to start　by molding bricks, collecting fine river sand and collecting stones. We need your prayers for this　project, which is estimated to be at $37,000 to build a 10 x 30 meter church building. You can also share this with our the prayer partners. Any contribution towards this project is　highly welcome.

POLITICAL
The　Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005 is at a risk of collapse. It is mainly provoked by the Northern government. The Gun and Barrels war is relatively over but there are indirect forces that the Arabs are employing to punish the Southerners, which might lead to direct confrontation.　These indirect forces include:

Wealth Sharing – the Khartoum Government intentionally refused to equitably share the　oil revenue with SPLM government.　The Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) cannot provide all the social services to its citizens. They urge the failure of the GOSS to push for Unity of which the Southerners and SPLM are against.

Referendum for Self Determination for Southerners – recently the Khartoum government passed a resolution that for Southern Sudan to be an Independent Country, they must pass a ‘Yes’ vote of 75%. And SPLM wanted a simple majority of 51%. This has forced the SPLM Secretary General to say that SPLM may unilaterally declare an Independent South Sudan before 2011 if the Khartoum government insists on the 75% Yes vote for the Southern Sudan to be independent. Khartoum government also wanted the office referendum be moved from Juba to Khartoum. One SPLA Commander said he would shoot down any plan attempting to take the office to Khartoum. The Bashir government also wanted Southerners living outside Southern Sudan to participate in the referendum; SPLM categorically refused and insisted that only the Southerners living in the South are to participate in the exercise.

The Islamist government in the　North is planning for a proxy war by denying an Independent South Sudan. This　has been in their mind since the signing of the CPA.　Thy want to maintain the Unity Government so that they may continue with their policy of the Arabization of Sudan of which SPLM/A　is not ready for.

The Islamists wants by all means the result of the referendum in 2011 to be 75 per cent for the South to qualify for Independent. The implication is that the South would remain part of Old Sudan with less than 75 per cent of the referendum result for independence. The message also is that if the south declares independence on the strength of the referendum result of 51 per cent the Islamists may consider this a rebellion which may prompt an invasion and occupation of the South by the North. Alternatively the Islamists may intensify the indirect use of force to impose Unity; which SPLM/A and other Southern Political parties object. Senior Islamists have already declared they will make it very difficult for the South to be an Independent Sovereign State. This means the Islamists will do whatever is in their　arsenal to maintain the unity of Sudan by all means possible. The message is very clear. It is here that the unity of the people of Southern Sudan is critical to protect themselves from devastating destruction by the Islamists. The Islamists are trying so hard to divide the Southerners by supporting tribal conflicts. They secretly armed one tribe to fight one another while preaching for unity of State.

Thanks!
David Ogwang