Sudan is facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis due to ongoing conflict and famine. In October, the bishops of the Episcopal Church of Sudan issued an Appeal for Peace. This November (5-25), the Archbishop of Sudan, the Most Revd Ezekiel Kumir Kondo, is in the UK to raise awareness for Sudan’s plight. To further their message of peace he has spent time with parliamentary groups, church leaders and The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion. 

Sudan: A nation facing conflict and humanitarian crisis

The conflict in Sudan has been raging since April 2023. In October this year, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban said that ‘Sudan is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis - and children are paying the highest price.’ The struggle for power between the military and the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), sparked civil war. It’s estimated that the conflict has killed 150,000 people, with about 12 million people forcibly displaced since April 2023. The systematic destruction of essential services is causing widespread famine.

Despite the ongoing work of the Quad mediation group, comprising the United States of America, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which is charged with negotiating for peace, violence has not lessened.

Sudanese bishops: Calling for peace

Last month, after escalating violence and systematic killings in el-Fasher, the bishops met together to pray. On 29 October, they issued an urgent appeal for peace in Sudan, calling for all parties to ‘immediately cease hostilities’ and imploring the international community to respond.

The bishops’ October statement depicted the Sudanese people as facing a ‘grave situation’ and drew attention to ‘the ongoing conflict in Sudan and its devastating impact on the security, social and economic conditions’ which greatly affects ‘the lives of citizens.’

Archbishop Ezekiel explains to Anglican News that October’s appeal was all about ‘Urging groups to silence the guns, to stop the war and to speak peace. This is important. Because people are dying. People are hungry.’

Since that statement was made, Archbishop Ezekiel relays,  ‘There is nothing yet changed, but we have hope… We thank God that the Quad group is working very hard to bring the groups together, to ‘stop the war,’ and ‘bring peace’.

Standing in solidarity with Sudan

Archbishop Ezekiel is adamant that the advocacy and influence of international churches and governmental groups are vital for Sudan’s future. His November visit to the UK has enabled him to speak to ‘different groups of the government’, such as ‘parliamentarians and those who are working in peace’, in the hopes that they can ‘influence the situation’.

He is concerned that ‘the media is very little on Sudan’ and that ‘we wanted to talk to the people in order to work on these advocacy issues so that our voice is heard, the crisis in Sudan is seen.’

The Rt Revd Hassan Osman (Assistant Bishop of Kadugli & Nuba Mountains in the Episcopal Church of Sudan) has accompanied Archbishop Ezekiel for the UK visit. They have spent time in the Dioceses of Salisbury and Leeds, which have historic connections and Companion Links with the Episcopal Church of Sudan.

The Rt Revd Anthony Poggo, The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion meets with The Most Reverend Ezekiel Kondo, and other members of the Episcopal Church of Sudan in a solidarity visit in 2024.

During a meeting at the Anglican Communion Office, Archbishop Ezekiel described how encouraged his Province had been by a visit from the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo, the Secretary General, in March 2024. At the time, Archbishop Ezekiel described the visit as an act of solidarity, saying: ‘ It shows us that Sudan is not forgotten by the Anglican Communion’.

Walk alongside us: How the Church can respond

Archbishop Ezekiel has encouraged people to ‘continue to pray’ for ‘the people of Sudan’ and ‘the churches in Sudan.’ He’s clear that standing in solidarity needs to be over the decades, and ‘not just in the crisis moments’.

Speaking to staff at the Anglican Communion Office, he described different ways churches can aid Sudan. This includes prayer and advocacy, supporting humanitarian and relief efforts, and investing in capacity development (so that people can be trained in trauma care, sustainable agriculture, peace and reconciliation work). He also hopes for ongoing story-telling so that the message of peace can be shared widely.

Despite the ongoing atrocities, violence and injustice in Sudan, Archbishop Ezekiel says there is much ‘hope’ to be found in the Episcopal Church of Sudan. ‘People are suffering but they still have faith that God is still in control’, says Archbishop Ezekiel. What’s more, he shares that ‘despite what is going on, the church is growing’.

Read the recent statement from the Bishops and Archbishops of Sudan appealing for peace.

Read about the Secretary General’s visit to Sudan in 2024.

Find out how you can support the church of Sudan financially. 

Watch a film of Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo speaking about Sudan