Sudan Factbook
Sudan has been
destroyed by decades of civil war.
Muslims have been fighting
viscously to impose Islamic law on the entire country, including areas that are
primarily Christian. Christians have
suffered terribly during this conflict.
Sudan is located in
northeastern Africa and is the largest country
in area on the
continent. It shares borders with
several countries including Egypt
to
the north and Ethiopia
to the east. The north is desert, and
the south is tropical forest.
37 million people live in Sudan. Approximately 45% are Arab or mixed
Arab. 55% are non-Arab. This distinction explains much of the history
of Sudan as these two groups have been fighting
each other for centuries.
Sudan is blessed
with abundant natural resources including oil, but ongoing civil war has devastated the
economy. Famine has even been used as a
weapon
in the conflict. Millions live in
poverty, and there is little hope for near term improvement.
Sudan was
predominantly Christian for 1000 years.
In the 13th century, Muslim
Arabs overran the country. The British
ruled Sudan
from 1899 to 1956 and brought some stability. Immediately on gaining independence, the
Muslims
sought to impose Islamic law on the entire country and war broke out. A 1972 treaty brought 12 years of peace
before war broke out again over the same issue. In the last 20 years, 2 million people have
died in the war and over 4 million have become refugees. The fighting continues to this day.
Although the constitution provides for
religious freedom, non-Muslims are frequently persecuted. The north is primarily Muslim, but the south
is still largely
Christian. Christians have suffered
severely at the hands of Muslims.
The persecution has been particularly blatant in the north where
Christian
facilities have been destroyed or taken over by the Muslims. Many Christians have died for their
faith. Much of the fighting, and much
of
the suffering, has taken place in the south.
Despite all of these difficulties, the
number of Christians has grown dramatically
in the last 20 years. Evangelicals
account for more than 10% of the population. A number are nominal, having turned to
Christianity only to declare themselves not Muslim, but there are many
genuine believers. Praise the
Lord for conversions in the face of such difficult circumstances.
Although missionary visas are difficult
to obtain, there are still two to three hundred missionaries working in Sudan. Pray for continued opportunities
for ministry and for open doors in the future.
Pray that the Lord would bring true peace
to this deeply troubled land and that many, particularly the Muslims, would come to Christ.
Copyright 2006 by Brad Garrison
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