£1000 raised in one afternoon
On Sunday 22nd June, there were two culinary events in aid of the Poole-Wau Partnership. PWP Committee member Jan Davies offered cream teas at St Michael's, Hamworthy (see photo above) and found plenty of takers, raising an impressive £245. Meanwhile, long-standing PWP supporter Judy Hudsonand her team, for the second time this year, sold her famous jams and chutneys, as well as teas and cakes, at an Open Garden event in Western Avenue, raising some £750. Many thanks to Jan, Judy and all who helped, attended and contributed to these events, raising between them the marvellous total of £1000 for PWP's work in Wau Diocese. PWP funds seed distribution to flood victims in Aweil villages In late 2024, serious floods drove many people in parts of Warrup state and Wanyjok Diocese from their homes, and the Poole-Wau Partnership was able to send a total of £2350, raised by a short-term emergency appeal, towards relief efforts for people affected by these floods, as reported in Newsletter 68. Part of this was used by Peter Akook, Director of the Rural Development Committee, based in Aweil, to buy seeds to enable the people in villages near Aweil to sow for this year's crops. PWP has been able to make a small additional grant from general funds in May 2025 to cover the transport of this seed to the affected villages ready for sowing. We heard from Peter Akook on 24th May that the delivery and distribution of seed has taken place, as the photograph below shows: "Each full sack of both sorghum and groundnuts," Peter writes,"was divided between six households, so that a household received five malous (tins). 120 households (a composition of 600 family members) have received the seeds with gratitude and prayers for PWP to win more supporters in the combat of poverty." Sudans Link Chair at PWP April Prayer Meeting Canon Ian Woodward, Chair of the Salisbury-Sudans Link, took part in a PWP Prayer Meeting on 7th April. Having driven from his home in Portsmouth especially, Canon Woodward was able to give us up-to-date news and comment on the worrying situation in Sudan and South Sudan. He was also keen to hear more about our visit to Wau in February. The meeting was one of the best-attended such meetings in recent years. To find the dates and venues of our future monthly prayer meetings, please click on the Events tab at the top of this page. Canon Ian Woodward's latest update about Sudan and South Sudan may be found here: https://www.salisbury.anglican.org/whoweare/news/sudan-and-south-sudans-in-most-desperate-state-for-decades.php Fears that South Sudan could be on the brink of civil war The power-sharing agreement between President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar which dates from the peace agreement of 2018 has been threatened in recent weeks by clashes between their allied forces in Upper Nile state in the north-Eastern part of South Sudan. Machar was put under house arrest in late March. Meanwhile both the EU and Kenya's President William Ruto have offered to mediate in an effort to prevent a slide into renewed civil war. Canon Ian Woodward, Chair of the Salisbury-Sudans Link commented, "we find Sudan and South Sudan in probably the most desperate state that I can recall in more than 25 years of our 50 year plus partnership." His full update can be accessed vis the link below. A South Sudanese general, a UN employee, Sergii Prykhodko from Ukraine, and a number of soldiers were killed after a United Nations helicopter trying to evacuate them from Nasir in Upper Nile State came under attack on 7th March. The South Sudanese Government blames Machar supporters for the attack, which the UN Mission in South Sudan described as “utterly abhorrent”. Whilst this incident took place hundreds of miles away from Wau, it is a worrying escalation of clashes between rival forces and suggests that there is a danger of South Sudan slipping into a similar state of civil war which has gripped Sudan for the past two years. on 18th March, Nicholas Haysom, Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan, warned, "We need to look no further than across the northern border to Sudan for a stark reminder of how quickly countries can descend into catastrophic war. To avoid this outcome in South Sudan, there must be an immediate return by the parties to consensus-based decision-making." There have even been suggestions that the civil war in Sudan and renewed internal strife in South Sudan could combine to produce a horrifying regional conflict, as this article explains: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/3/29/sudans-war-risks-merging-with-conflict-in-south-sudan-say-analysts Archbishop Moses Deng Bol, in his capacity as a Peace Envoy representing churches in South Sudan, has been taking part in peace talks which have been going on in Nairobi for months. Please continue to pray for these talks and for Moses as he continues to work for peace and greater trust between different groups. More details may be found on these links: Editorial in The Guardian 2nd April: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/01/the-guardian-view-on-south-sudan-the-worlds-youngest-nation-is-on-the-brink-of-a-new-conflict?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other UNMISS comments: https://unmiss.unmissions.org/remarks-special-representative-secretary-general-and-head-unmiss-nicholas-haysom-african-union-peace https://www.radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/eu-offers-to-facilitate-dialogue-between-kiir-and-machar https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/08/south-sudan-general-among-dozens-killed-in-attack-on-un-helicopter |
Abraham to replace Moses as Archbishop of Northern Bahr el-Ghazal Province
Abraham Yel Nhial, currently Bishop of Aweil, (pictured here) is to replace Moses Deng Bol as Archbishop of Northern Bahr el-Ghazal Internal Province and Bishop of Wau Diocese. Moses, who, as Bishop of Wau and then Archbishop, has been our main contact in South Sudan ever since PWP was founded, is to continue his role as a Peace Envoy representing the South Sudan Council of Churches on a permanent basis. Abraham has been acting Archbishop for over a year now, so the new appointment is making permanent an arrangement which has so far been temporary. We were delighted to get to know Abraham, who looked after us with great kindness during our visit to Wau in February 2025, and we look forward to working with him in his new role as Archbishop of Northern Bahr el-Ghazal for years to come. PWP Chair Jeff Neagle has sent messages of congratulation and support to Archbishop-Elect Abraham and to Moses in his peace work. Archbishop-Elect Abraham replied with this message to PWP: "I will build on the foundation laid down by Archbishop Moses Deng, to strengthen the Church and support the community and the nation of South Sudan. The Church in NBGIP has a vital role to play to serve the people of South Sudan. Please continue praying for us. And pass my greeting to all our brothers and sisters in Christ at Poole Deanery. May our loving God continue blessing our Kingdom partnership more abundantly." PWP visit to Wau Six Trustees and committee members of the Poole-Wau Partnership visited Wau from 2nd to 12th February 2025, the first such visit for seven years. The group consisted of our Chair Jeff Neagle, Jan Davies, Rev. Penny Draper, Andrew Holt, Mark Rathbone and Richard Tazewell. The busy programme included a three-day training conference for students and church leaders based on St Luke’s gospel and the opening ceremony of the new Poole-Wau Partnership Building at St John’s College. More details and a gallery of photos are available on the 'Wau Visit' page of this website - just click on this link: https://www.poolewaupartnership.com/wau-visit.html St John's College's new building opens The final stage in the construction of the new building at St John's College, painting the roof, was still going on when the PWP group arrived in Wau, but all was ready by Saturday 8th February when the opening ceremony of The Poole-Wau Partnership Building took place. There are more photos of the new building and the opening ceremony on the 'Wau Visit' page of this website - just click on this link: https://www.poolewaupartnership.com/wau-visit.html Conflict in Sudan [Last update: 24/03/25] The recapture of the presidential palace in Khartoum by the Sudanese army on 21st March 2025 is a significant victory for the army over the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in the civil war in Sudan which has been raging for almost two years. More on this news here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/21/sudan-army-recaptures-presidential-palace-khartoum-major-battlefield-gain The continuing civil war in Sudan has created what is often labelled the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, yet much of the British media pays little attention to it. That said, two moving articles published in February & March in The Guardian and its sister paper The Observer report on the enormous human cost of the war on Sudanese civilians and the plight of returnees and refugees crossing the border into South Sudan: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/mar/23/atrocities-mount-daily-promised-aid-does-not-arrive-why-has-the-west-turned-its-back-on-sudan https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/feb/17/south-sudanese-border-war-in-sudan-joda-border-crossing These sources, which are frequently updated, have more about the crisis in Sudan and its effects on South Sudan: https://www.theguardian.com/world/sudan https://unmiss.unmissions.org/ https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/World+News/Africa/South+Sudan CLIP brings together different church denominations to promote peace in the Bahr El Ghazal region In this story from the Church Mission Society website, Karobia Njogu of CMS-Africa reports on the marvellous work promoting agreement between different tribal groups by Church Leaders For Peace (CLIP). A five-day conference in Wau earlier in 2024 which led to a peace agreement between the Twik and Ngok peoples is reported on. A long-standing friend of PWP, Bishop Joseph Mamer of Wanyjok Diocese managed to secure helicopter transport to Wau for 15 representatives of each of the two groups from the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei: https://churchmissionsociety.org/stories/the-blood-of-christ-is-thicker-than-tribal-identity/ In its Christmas 2024 issue, The Church Times also publishes a cautiously optimistic assessment of the role of the church in promoting peace and stability in South Sudan: https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2024/20-december/features/features/christmas-in-south-sudan-building-hope-in-a-wounded-country Both these articles are well worth reading.. Thanks to Jan Davies and Rev Chris Strain for spotting them. |
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Links to find out more about South Sudan
News Organisations: Sudan Tribune: https://sudantribune.com Radio Tamazuj: https://radiotamazuj.org/en Eye Radio: https://eyeradio.org Associated Press: https://apnews.com/hub/south-sudan The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/south-sudan BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=South+Sudan Radio Miraya: https://audioboom.com/channel/radiomiraya News Now: https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/World+News/Africa/South+Sudan Regular publications: Diocese of Salisbury Sudans Link, including quarterly Salisbury-Sudans Link Bulletin: https://www.salisbury.anglican.org/mission/the-sudan-link Renewal Magazine: https://anglican.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=bc17f2b699f53a98ce265ecab&id=69d5549620 The Church Association for Sudan and South Sudan, including twice-yearly Sudan Church Review: https://www.casss.org.uk AFRECS (American Friends of the Episcopal Church of the Sudans), including fortnightly E-Blast: https://afrecs.org Church organisations in South Sudan: St John’s College Wau: https://stjohnscollegewau.org South Sudan Council of Churches: https://sscchurches.org The Epicopal Church of South Sudan: https://southsudan.anglican.org ECSS Northern Bahr El Ghazal province: https://www.facebook.com/northerbahrelghazal/ International organisations and charities working in South Sudan: Anglican International Development: www.anglicaninternationaldevelopment.org CRESS UK (Christian Relief and Education for South Sudan): https://cressuk.org/blog/ ECSSSUP (UK-based charity supporting The Episcopal University of South Sudan, of which St John's College Wau is a constituent institution): https://www.ecsssup.org/copy-of-home Health Initiative South Sudan: https://health-initiative-south-sudan.org/homepage TEAR Fund: https://www.tearfund.org/about-us/our-impact/where-we-work/south-sudan UNMISS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan): https://unmiss.unmissions.org World Food Programme: https://www.wfp.org/stories/south-sudans-road-out-hunger ECSSSUP: https://www.ecsssup.org/copy-of-home |
