Darfur (MNN) — Muslim against Muslim violence in Darfur, Sudan continues. It's already killed tens of thousands of people and forcing 2.5 million other into sprawling camps around the region. Christians are reaching out to the displaced.
Strategic Programs Manager with Partners International's 'George Sampson' says the situation isn't getting any better. "It's not only not getting any better it's actually getting worse. There's more factions that are getting broken up. There's less cooperation. Security is so unstable for any NGO's trying to work in the area that more and more of them are leaving. In fact, the UN is now pulling out a lot of their people out of that area."
However, Partners International doesn't have to pull out their workers, says Sampson. "Partners International, we support indigenous ministry and we work with a church group in that area that have been working in that area providing relief and trying to help."
Reports out of the camps are sobbing, "There's no young men anywhere," says Sampson, "They're gone. In many cases either they've been killed or they've been recruited into the fighting forces."
Many living in these camps or out in the open are frail. They need food, shelter, clothing and blankets as winter set in. "They're out basically in the elements and they need blankets right now. We've advanced some funds already. We're shooting for 2,300 blankets initially."
$15 purchases a blanket and gets it into the hands of the refugees.
Sampson says providing humanitarian aid goes a long way to opening doors for the Gospel. "When the people who share your same belief system are destroying your homes, killing your family, raping your women, then they go in as pastors and they are bring supplies and just caring for them and that's opening a lot of doors."
While people have made professions of faith, pray that many will be committed in the new faith and participate with the local church that's been planted.
