Sudan (MNN) — It’s been more than a year since another military coup in Sudan destroyed any hope of transitioning to civilian rule. Now, the junta says it will hand over power to a civilian-only government.
Political parties began official talks with military leaders earlier this month. “Whenever statements are made like this, we hope and pray for the best,” says Arne*, a believer overseeing unfoldingWord’s work in Sudan.
“The practical reality is these transitions are not as clean as might be presented.”
Despite government crackdowns, protestors say they will remain in the streets. Protestor Intesar Marrouf told AfricaNews last week:
“We are against a settlement. Our protests will continue until the fall of the regime and the formation of a civilian and democratic state.”
Civilian protests overthrew longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019. The country’s first attempt at transitioning to civilian rule failed when Bashir loyalists staged a coup in October 2021, arresting civilian leaders and instilling military replacements.
The 2021 coup made harsh conditions even worse in Sudan. Nearly a third of the population will need humanitarian aid this year to survive.
Pray unfoldingWord can reach all of the 100 people groups in Sudan who still need a Bible.
(Photo, caption courtesy of unfoldingWord)
“Our exposure is mostly with the refugee camps in the south. The day-to-day survival capacity of people in these camps is limited, at best,” Arne says.
“A lot of times, though, this (humanitarian crisis) is opening the door for the Gospel message.”
unfoldingWord partners with church planting networks throughout Sudan, teaching local believers how to translate God’s Word into minority languages. More about that here.
“You can find churches planted in many places where a national translation may be available, but the mother tongue translation still is not. This gives us a leverage point of using the Church in that region to create its own translation,” Arne explains.
Pray unfoldingWord can reach all of the 100 people groups in Sudan who still need a Bible.
Header and story images courtesy of unfoldingWord.
