Fwd: [sudans-john-ashworth] Church offers age-old sanctuary to South Sudan's dispossessed
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Elisabeth Janaina
Aug 25, 2017, 10:30:59 AM8/25/17
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From: John Ashworth <ashwor...@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2017 12:01:54 +0300
Subject: [sudans-john-ashworth] Church offers age-old sanctuary to
South Sudan's dispossessed
To: Group <sudans-joh...@googlegroups.com>
Church offers age-old sanctuary to South Sudan's dispossessed
Stefanie Glinski
AUGUST 24, 2017 / 8:08 AM
WAU, South Sudan (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Below a painted scene
of African mud huts and a crucified Christ, eight-year-old Juma lies
on a blue metal bed, recovering from malaria.
The chapel has been home for the past year, even though Juma’s old
place of residence is just two miles down the road. But it’s not safe
for him to go back. Now it lies empty and looted; many of his former
neighbors have been killed.
Juma is among more than 10,000 people who have found refuge in the
backyard of St Mary’s Cathedral in South Sudan’s Wau.
It is the country’s biggest church, its brick dome rising above the
surrounding houses and unpaved roads, the color blending with the
local red dust and soil.
Once used for preaching and workshops, the smaller chapels around the
main cathedral and surrounding grounds have become a full-fletched
city, one with its own shops, latrines, schools and a graveyard.
On Sundays, worshippers still attend services in the main cathedral,
decorated with stained-glass windows and images of saints at the
altar.
In the outside camp, hunger and fear abound.
“We haven’t received food in four months,” said Juma’s neighbor Irene,
who desperately wants to set up a small shop, but has no funds.
Her shelter is a few blankets and some plastic sheets, big enough to
cover her bed, but barely waterproof during the current rainy season.
“I’m hungry, but I’m afraid to go home. Soldiers are still roaming the
area and loot houses constantly. My brother died and my sister was
raped in last year’s attack. I’m scared of a similar fate. Many people
have been assaulted and tortured. That’s why I can’t leave the
cathedral camp.”
LAW OF THE GUN
Wau – about 400 miles northwest of the capital Juba – has a history of
instability. Set up in the 19th century as a slave trade hub, Wau has
since grown into the country’s second biggest city, although security
remains volatile.
Clashes between the government army and the region’s native Fertit
people had tens of thousands flee their homes last year. Renewed
fighting this April saw hopes for peace ebb.
South Sudan erupted into civil war almost four years ago, shortly
after the young country’s birth in 2011.
On the surface, Wau has been seemingly quiet, but – less than 20 miles
from one of the civil war’s frontlines and host to several ethnic
groups – it is a hotspot waiting to erupt.
“There is no law and order here, except for the law of the gun,” an
aid worker said on condition of anonymity. “Young militia, who often
worked as cattle herders in the past, roam the area and loot whatever
they can.”
In April, three World Food Programme (WFP) staff members were killed
by machetes and gunshots.
The organization has since halted food distribution in several camps,
including St Mary’s, but continues to supply those living in the
city’s United Nations protected site (PoC).
“We have been unable to serve people outside the PoC as we did not
have assurance of safety and security for our staff members,” said
WFP’s communications officer George Fominyen.
He said distributions would resume once the WFP had safety assurances
from the government.
Irene wasn’t able to run to the PoC for safety when violence erupted
last year - the towering cathedral was nearer home.
Her life in recent months has been one of begging for leftovers in the
city’s main market.
“Right now it’s the only way I can survive. I used to work as a
farmer, but going home to resume my job is not an option. I’m
terrified to risk my life once again and I know I’m safe here,” she
told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
CHURCH AS SANCTUARY
In predominantly Christian South Sudan, churches are seen as a safe
haven - the custom has deep historical roots - and have become a place
of refuge for civilians fleeing violence.
“People flock to churches in times of insecurity. Most of them have a
strong faith. They believe that they are best protected here and in
case of an attack, they’d rather die in the house of God,” explained
Father Moses Peter, who now works as the Wau Diocese’s emergency
coordinator.
The area is protected by walls, a metal gate and police officers – no
barrier to a determined intruder.
The grounds, with the red brick cathedral triumphing over the white
makeshift tents, has turned into a functioning city with small
businesses and clean water, but it barely makes up for the lives they
have all lost.
“It is very sad. Families who lived in houses had to reduce to living
in small tents. That can be frustrating and hard to understand,” said
Ben Lopidia of Oxfam, one of the organizations helping the camp’s
residents.
“We try to improve their lives through emergency response, but they
are waiting for stability to return home. That’s why the political
situation here remains our biggest challenge.”
As fighting outside the city continues and hunger prevails, the church
sanctuary seems like a good bet.
“We walked 16 miles to come here and I barely made it," said Wijowek,
a severely malnourished father of six. "I’m weak and hungry. Right
now, while we wait for peace, living in the camp is our last hope.”
Editing by Lyndsay Griffiths. Please credit the Thomson Reuters
Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers
humanitarian news, women’s rights, trafficking, property rights,
climate change and resilience. Visit news.trust.org to see more
stories.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southsudan-church-sanctuary-idUSKCN1B40BS
END
______________________
John Ashworth
ashwor...@gmail.com
+254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile)
+211 919 695 362 (South Sudan mobile)
+44 787 976 8030 (UK mobile)
+88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone)
Skype: jashworth1
PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya
This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily
reflect the views of any organisation
--
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Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is
not the author of the content and the source is always cited.
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From: John Ashworth <ashwor...@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2017 12:01:54 +0300
Subject: [sudans-john-ashworth] Church offers age-old sanctuary to
South Sudan's dispossessed
To: Group <sudans-joh...@googlegroups.com>
Church offers age-old sanctuary to South Sudan's dispossessed
Stefanie Glinski
AUGUST 24, 2017 / 8:08 AM
WAU, South Sudan (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Below a painted scene
of African mud huts and a crucified Christ, eight-year-old Juma lies
on a blue metal bed, recovering from malaria.
The chapel has been home for the past year, even though Juma’s old
place of residence is just two miles down the road. But it’s not safe
for him to go back. Now it lies empty and looted; many of his former
neighbors have been killed.
Juma is among more than 10,000 people who have found refuge in the
backyard of St Mary’s Cathedral in South Sudan’s Wau.
It is the country’s biggest church, its brick dome rising above the
surrounding houses and unpaved roads, the color blending with the
local red dust and soil.
Once used for preaching and workshops, the smaller chapels around the
main cathedral and surrounding grounds have become a full-fletched
city, one with its own shops, latrines, schools and a graveyard.
On Sundays, worshippers still attend services in the main cathedral,
decorated with stained-glass windows and images of saints at the
altar.
In the outside camp, hunger and fear abound.
“We haven’t received food in four months,” said Juma’s neighbor Irene,
who desperately wants to set up a small shop, but has no funds.
Her shelter is a few blankets and some plastic sheets, big enough to
cover her bed, but barely waterproof during the current rainy season.
“I’m hungry, but I’m afraid to go home. Soldiers are still roaming the
area and loot houses constantly. My brother died and my sister was
raped in last year’s attack. I’m scared of a similar fate. Many people
have been assaulted and tortured. That’s why I can’t leave the
cathedral camp.”
LAW OF THE GUN
Wau – about 400 miles northwest of the capital Juba – has a history of
instability. Set up in the 19th century as a slave trade hub, Wau has
since grown into the country’s second biggest city, although security
remains volatile.
Clashes between the government army and the region’s native Fertit
people had tens of thousands flee their homes last year. Renewed
fighting this April saw hopes for peace ebb.
South Sudan erupted into civil war almost four years ago, shortly
after the young country’s birth in 2011.
On the surface, Wau has been seemingly quiet, but – less than 20 miles
from one of the civil war’s frontlines and host to several ethnic
groups – it is a hotspot waiting to erupt.
“There is no law and order here, except for the law of the gun,” an
aid worker said on condition of anonymity. “Young militia, who often
worked as cattle herders in the past, roam the area and loot whatever
they can.”
In April, three World Food Programme (WFP) staff members were killed
by machetes and gunshots.
The organization has since halted food distribution in several camps,
including St Mary’s, but continues to supply those living in the
city’s United Nations protected site (PoC).
“We have been unable to serve people outside the PoC as we did not
have assurance of safety and security for our staff members,” said
WFP’s communications officer George Fominyen.
He said distributions would resume once the WFP had safety assurances
from the government.
Irene wasn’t able to run to the PoC for safety when violence erupted
last year - the towering cathedral was nearer home.
Her life in recent months has been one of begging for leftovers in the
city’s main market.
“Right now it’s the only way I can survive. I used to work as a
farmer, but going home to resume my job is not an option. I’m
terrified to risk my life once again and I know I’m safe here,” she
told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
CHURCH AS SANCTUARY
In predominantly Christian South Sudan, churches are seen as a safe
haven - the custom has deep historical roots - and have become a place
of refuge for civilians fleeing violence.
“People flock to churches in times of insecurity. Most of them have a
strong faith. They believe that they are best protected here and in
case of an attack, they’d rather die in the house of God,” explained
Father Moses Peter, who now works as the Wau Diocese’s emergency
coordinator.
The area is protected by walls, a metal gate and police officers – no
barrier to a determined intruder.
The grounds, with the red brick cathedral triumphing over the white
makeshift tents, has turned into a functioning city with small
businesses and clean water, but it barely makes up for the lives they
have all lost.
“It is very sad. Families who lived in houses had to reduce to living
in small tents. That can be frustrating and hard to understand,” said
Ben Lopidia of Oxfam, one of the organizations helping the camp’s
residents.
“We try to improve their lives through emergency response, but they
are waiting for stability to return home. That’s why the political
situation here remains our biggest challenge.”
As fighting outside the city continues and hunger prevails, the church
sanctuary seems like a good bet.
“We walked 16 miles to come here and I barely made it," said Wijowek,
a severely malnourished father of six. "I’m weak and hungry. Right
now, while we wait for peace, living in the camp is our last hope.”
Editing by Lyndsay Griffiths. Please credit the Thomson Reuters
Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers
humanitarian news, women’s rights, trafficking, property rights,
climate change and resilience. Visit news.trust.org to see more
stories.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southsudan-church-sanctuary-idUSKCN1B40BS
END
______________________
John Ashworth
ashwor...@gmail.com
+254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile)
+211 919 695 362 (South Sudan mobile)
+44 787 976 8030 (UK mobile)
+88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone)
Skype: jashworth1
PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya
This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily
reflect the views of any organisation
--
--
The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John
Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is
not the author of the content and the source is always cited.
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group.
To post to this group, send email to sudan-joh...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
sudan-john-ashw...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.co.za/group/sudan-john-ashworth
---
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To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
an email to sudans-john-ashw...@googlegroups.com.
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