Sudan Declares Christmas a Public Holiday for First Time in a Decade

This past Wednesday, millions of people around the world celebrated Christmas. However, this was the first time in 10 years that the country of Sudan recognized Christmas as a public holiday, which is seen as a major step toward realizing religious equality and freedom in the region.

For the past three decades, the Islamist regime of Omar al-Bashir ruled over Sudan, instilling a secular and unaccommodating religious environment. With the recent military coup and formation of a transitional government, Bashir’s hold over the country has ended and Sudan’s current civilian prime minster has made it their mission to instill a new regime of welcoming and respecting of other religions.

While Christians make up a minority of the citizens living in Sudan, mostly in Khartoum and the Nuba Mountains, the nation has officially recognized Christmas as a public holiday, allowing these oppressed followers to celebrate their religion openly and without discrimination.

Many pro-democracy activists see this as a massive step in the right direction, and hope that this will pave the way for more improvements in the coming months as Sudan continues to rebuild itself in the wake of a violent civil war.

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Bishop Kussala Recalls Traumatizing Adolescence in War-Torn Sudan

South Sudan has been engaged in turmoil for years, and people such as Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala knows first-hand of how horrid life is in the war-torn region.

When he was two months old, Bishop Kussala’s mother was violently killed, forcing him to be raised by his grandmother.

According to Bishop Kussala, his grandmother told him the names of those who killed his mother, and this led to him growing up with much hatred in his heart for them. However, while he was in a seminary, he met Father Ed Brady, a Jesuit priest from the US, who managed to convert him to a nonviolent mindset and showed him how to achieve peace through reconciliation.

Life had not been easy for Bishop Kussala, but his turn to religion helped him cope with the trauma of his past. Nowadays, he is an outspoken South Sudan advocate who fights relentlessly to provide food, shelter, medicine, and hope to the people living in the region.

His hope is that he can raise enough awareness around the world for people to fully grasp the seriousness behind the situation so that they can help the cause.

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South Sudan Defies Peace Deal; Recruits 10,000 Soldiers

Despite efforts over the past year to establish peace in South Sudan, it seems that local governments may be heading in another direction. Recent reports indicate that President Salva Kiir and the South Sudan National Security Service have recruited approximately 10,000 new fighters, breaching the terms of the peace deal.

Back in 2018, a fragile peace deal was signed to end the civil war in the region after more than 400,000 people had been killed. Unfortunately, it appears that South Sudan is not abiding by the deal due to these new updates about its military forces.

Because of this delay, the United States has announced that it will be recalling its South Sudan ambassador back to Washington to consult and reevaluate the relationship between the two countries.

Government officials are hoping for more positive updates in the coming months, but they are keeping a close watch on military movement in the meantime.

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Pope Francis’ Kiss: Minor Gesture or Symbol of Peace for South Sudan?

For the past several years, South Sudan’s civil war has left hundreds of thousands of people dead and millions of refugees displaced from their homes. Prominent figures such as Bishop Eduardo Kussala have dedicated their time to establishing peace in the warring nation. During these trying times, even the smallest gestures, such as Pope Francis’ kiss last April, have made leaders hopeful for a brighter future.

During a Vatican and Anglican church-sponsored retreat in Rome, Pope Francis lowered himself to kiss the feet of South Sudan’s political leaders. To many, this gesture may not have meant much, but according to Bishop Kussala, it has led to a startling change.

Bishop Kussala said, “That gesture has made a tremendous impact on the process of peace itself because since that day, there has never been physical confrontation between the leaders, and they have kept on referring to this gesture, and they’re still trying to understand its meaning.”

Per Bishop Kussala, the African leaders saw the head of the church go down on his knees to kiss their feet as a shocking moment akin to divine intervention. Bishop Kussala believes that this kind gesture was an expression of something that he strongly believes will help bring about an end to the violence in South Sudan.

“We can … overcome obstacles only by humility.”

Read more:

https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2019/10/23/can-pope-francis-prophetic-kiss-protect-peace-process-south-sudan

Pope Heads to South Sudan in 2020 for Dialogue with Leaders

This past Sunday, Pope Francis addressed the Vatican with his intentions to join the dialogue on South Sudan by visiting the war-torn nation in the upcoming year.

For the past several years, South Sudan has been caught in a civil war that has left countless people dead or displaced from their homes. Sudan advocates have stated that the UN and other international parties need to be involved to help establish peace in the nation. People like Pope Francis hope to do just that in 2020.

During his address, the Pope stated that the country’s leaders need to uphold inclusive dialogue while searching for consensus for the good of South Sudan, while encouraging the international community not to neglect helping the youngest nation in the world on the path to national reconciliation.

No details have yet been announced of Pope Francis’ pilgrimage to South Sudan, but it is expected to be announced early next year.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/pope-says-he-intends-to-go-to-south-sudan-urges-dialogue/2019/11/10/3c7a8d7e-03b2-11ea-9118-25d6bd37dfb1_story.html

South Sudan’s Bishop Kussala Fighting for Peace in the World’s Youngest Country

For several years, South Sudan has been embattled in a civil war that has left hundreds of thousands dead, and millions of people displaced from their homes. As the youngest country in the world is slowly rebuilding itself, people such as Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala are trying to expedite the process by brokering peace among the warring factions and raising awareness around the world.

Bishop Kussala, Vatican representative for peace negotiations, was raised by his grandmother in refugee camps after his mother and sister were killed when he was nine months old. He has committed his life to spreading the word of God and hope and establishing peace between the opposing forces in Sudan’s civil war.

For the past few months, Bishop Kussala, with aid from the Sudan Relief Fund, has been traveling across the United States to talk about why Americans should be aware of what is going on overseas. According to the Bishop, educating the people of America about South Sudan will move them one step closer to bringing the youngest country to a period of peace.

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South Sudan: Former Child Soldiers Attempt to Leave Behind Horrid Past

South Sudan is home to more than 19,000 child soldiers, one of the largest rates in the entire world. While the country is slowly emerging from a five-year civil war that has left hundreds of thousands of people dead or displaced, there is still concern over the possibility that former child soldiers could return to their war-centered lives.

Many children who were formerly soldiers admitted that even though the horrors of war were traumatizing, they still found comfort and stability in the military. The army offered them bedding and clothes, as well as a sense of belonging. These children now find themselves adrift with virtually nothing while the U.N. attempts to integrate them back into civilian society. Many worry that this long process could cause children to return to the military, and the fact that the rate of forced child soldier recruitments has increased in the past year only solidifies these concerns.

According to the National Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration Commission, the South Sudan government is not investing in child soldier integration, leaving many pessimistic about the future. With the upcoming unification of governments in November, there is hope that the peace deal will motivate the leaders to support to the cause.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/south-sudans-child-soldiers-struggle-move-66435959