Sudan Update: Peter Hammond on the Front Line

While the mainstream American media attention focuses on Bosnia, the genocidal war against Christians in the Southern Sudan continues. Yet there is a glimmer of hope that the outside world is finally starting to pay attention. The February, 1996 issue of Reader’s Digest has a poignant article about the vicious slave trade carried on by the Arab North against the Christian South. Furthermore, there are encouraging signs that the Christian South may be winning the war.

Peter Hammond, intrepid missionary behind enemy lines, recently briefed me on his latest outreach to Sudan. During his most recent mission, Peter held 42 research interviews, visited 3 orphanages, 4 hospitals, 2 clinics, 2 mission stations, 3 theological colleges, and numerous churches. The trip Involved 11 flights, thousands of kilometers’ driving (and a fair bit of walking) in 4 countries—Kenya, Sudan, Rwanda, and Uganda. By God’s grace, he was able to deliver and distribute 690 Bibles and 1000 Gospel booklets, hymn books and prayer books to Christians in Sudan as well as to prisoners, soldiers, and orphans In Rwanda.

The Relief Effort

Peter reports that the international relief effort, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, is a tourist trap awash with NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations). Bureaucratic red tape, corruption, waste and all the other hallmarks of the UN are enough to make the most idealistic person cynical. The World Food Program does have some very skilled ex-Air Force pilots carrying out air drops from C-130 aircraft. However, the relief work is done with great haste. The pilots are afraid of antiaircraft fire.

Peter’s desire to get into Southern Sudan by road was met with much shock as several relief columns have been ambushed by bandits. The Government of Sudan (GOS) arms dissident groups and encourages bandits to destabilize the South. Several Roman Catholic relief workers had recently been killed on the very road Peter and his staff needed to use. Though thankfully they met no armed opposition (knowing Peter, it is the bandits who should be thankful they didn’t meet up with him!), it still took them 8 hours to drive just 80 miles over very bad roads.

One of the towns Peter visited has been frequently bombed by GOS aircraft. The charter company that flew him out requested an early departure since the GOS were expected to begin bombing after 11 a.m. it seems the GOS are very predictable—“they never bomb before tea time.” Peter’s pilot also mentioned the danger of surface-to-air missiles and ground fire during flight. “We’ve also been shot at by GOS aircraft during unauthorized incursions; ground fire has been common.” Even the airstrips in northern Kenya, used by various agencies, have been bombed by the GOS. Peter was also warned that Nairobi was Infested with GOS agents.

The Evil of the UN

Nor was the Government of Sudan Peter’s only obstacle to ministry In Southern Sudan. The United Nations, which coordinates Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) under which Non-Government Organizations, relief agencies, and missions need to work, has serious prejudice against Christians. While Peter was there, they banned all New Sudan Council of Churches relief flights because one of their ministers attempted to take on board a box of Communion wafers! Yet that same flight carried beer and wine for the UN workers. ACROSS (the Methodist Christian relief agency) had been slapped with a suspension of their flights for trying to take Bibles into Sudan.

Christian organizations are not the only ones to suffer from the bureaucratic nonsense of the UN. Red Cross officials were outraged that the UN had refused permission to medivac 23 war-wounded civilians. In blatant disregard for the Geneva Convention, the Muslim Government of Sudan (GOS) forbade the flights (without any reason given) and the UN would not allow the Red Cross to save these casualties. Considering that It was the GOS who had bombed them In the first place, It struck Peter as ridiculous to ask their permission to treat those same victims.

Peter reports that other missionaries complained of UN interference forbidding them to take in crosses, Sunday School pictures and other religious materials. One missionary couple reported how UN officials had forbidden the showing of the Jesus film. The SPLA (Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army) Commander showed it anyway—despite the protests of the UN. The same couple remarked at how inconsistent the UN’s position on religion was. in Cambodia, the UN had erected a Buddhist Temple for the refugees (because “that is their religion”).Yet in Southern Sudan they discriminate against Christians. As one pastor put It: “It’s not that the UN is against religion; they’re just against Christianity.”

The ICRC hospital In Lokichogio, with 550 beds, is the main haven for the wounded from Southern Sudan. Patients come from every part of the South and are therefore separated from their families and communities. There is no other functioning hospital available. It also has the only laboratory or X-ray facilities for 6 to 8 million people. There is desperate need for medical volunteers to work at the hospital and for a chaplain’s ministry, Biblically counseling needy patients.

While visiting the hospital, Peter was aghast at the number of amputees. Lost limbs are usually the result of land mines, in this case the cause was simple gunshot wounds, it seems that the need to obtain UN/GOS permission before medevacs can work means that by the time the patient arrives for surgery all the doctors can do is cut off the infected limb!

Peter said that one SPLA Commander apologized because they could not guarantee protection from GOS air attacks: “We only have some 14.5mm, 12.7mm, and 23mm antiaircraft guns. We have no more shoulder-launched Red Eye missiles. The Arabs know this so their bombers fly high—out of range—when they drop their bombs on us.”

Towards Victory!

Nevertheless, the GOS forces have failed to achieve much more than a token presence—at great cost—In a few besieged garrison towns. In the opinion of some military attaches Peter spoke to, the war is unwinnable for the GOS forces. The harsh terrain, vast swamps, wide rivers, dense vegetation, and rolling hills of the South is ideal terrain for unconventional warfare. The local population are uncompromisingly opposed to the Arabization and Islamization policies of Khartoum. The war Is financially crippling the already impoverished, heavily indebted Arab North. The war Is unpopular with most of the GOS forces who seem to lack both the means and the will to win. (Maybe If (the US government sent the GOS a few USO shows, PX’s and what’s left of our liberal politicians from the sixties, the war would soon be over!)

On the other hand, the Black Christians of the South are highly motivated and determined to win. It would also seem that the South Is beginning to receive some material support from Eritrea and Uganda. There was also speculation that Egypt may be assisting the SPLA. forces in some way. The Khartoum regime has certainly made a lot of enemies amongst its neighbors.

Peter Hammond’s Courageous Ministry

Peter finished his briefing by stating that his mission team defied the UN/GOS ban and successfully delivered over a thousand Bibles, Gospel booklets and hymn books, to remote congregations and military units in Southern Sudan. The enthusiastic response of the people of Southern Sudan was an eloquent testimony to their love for life and liberty.

A few years ago, I spoke with a missionary to South America who gave a very impassioned plea for financial support to bring the Gospel to pagan tribes in the Amazon. Impressed with the vision of stalwart warriors for Christ, hacking their way through dense jungles just to preach the Gospel, I asked the missionary how my church could help. He replied, “Well, we’re trying to raise some money to buy some choir robes.” Choir robes? in the jungle? Well, he admitted that he didn’t actually go into the jungle. He was based in Rio, lived in an air-conditioned 5-bedroom house and basically went around preaching to indigenous churches. I have been extremely skeptical about foreign missions ever since.

But Peter Hammond and his courageous ministry teams are different. They go where no one else will go. They do what no one else will do. They have mastered the difficult balance between sharing the truth which saves a soul, and caring for the body that contains that soul. Their dedication to defending the Kingdom against God’s enemies should be a rallying cry for every committed Christian. Their ministry to the persecuted church ought to make every Western Christian, living comfortably and safely, sipping his Diet Coke while watching the idiot box, squirm. Peter’s theology is rock solid, but he backs his words with Christ like compassion and concern for God’s flock. While others talk, Peter acts. And a continent is being won for Christ.

This ministry deserves to be generously supported by Western Christians, it is simply unacceptable that vital missions to bring desperately needed medical supplies, Bibles and teaching materials have been canceled because Frontline Fellowship doesn’t have enough gas money to fuel their trucks. The Apostle John said it best: “For they went out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men….” (Jn. 3:7). Amen.