Sudan (MNN) — Seven years after protests and a military coup removed dictator Omar al-Bashir from power, Sudan still has no leader. When a transition to civilian rule failed, two generals began a war in 2023 for control of Sudan.
Three years later, Sudan’s leadership remains in flux as the civil war rages on, but one constant remains: Islam is the national religion. Persecution continues as Islamists have targeted and killed Christians and attacked churches.
In refugee camps in countries surrounding Sudan, believers can share the Gospel without fear of the government.
John of Greater Reach Alliance adds, “We have (Bible) translation in 13 unreached people group languages, and each one is led by a graduate from our school of mission.”
Romans 8:28
Problems arise from time to time. “The reality is that Muslims are refugees. They’re fleeing the same war that Christians flee,” John says.
Sudanese refugees who have fled the conflict in Sudan register for food aid in neighboring Chad.
(Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
“They’ve never been in a situation where Islam didn’t dominate and control everything, and so they try to recreate that dominance of Islam in the refugee camps.”
Yet the Lord works every hardship to the good of those who follow Him. John says, “In one camp, where [we planted a church], they shot one of our leaders. The community itself, mostly Muslims, said to the violent Muslims, ‘No more, no more!’”
When the time came to elect a new Community Leader, Muslims chose the church’s pastor.
“They said, ‘We want you because you’re fair and because you’ve brought people who have loved us,’” John says.
Attracted by the love of Christ, Muslims who show interest in the Bible begin studies with Gospel workers trained by GRA. Scriptures translated into minority languages by church-centric Bible translators make this possible.
Remaining work
Sudan has over 100 languages, with Sudanese Arabic dominating nationally but a wide mix of indigenous languages spoken locally. With the help of unfoldingWord, GRA translation teams have completed Open Bible Stories in 15 languages.
(Photo courtesy of unfoldingWord)
The New Testament in Sudanese Arabic has been completed, and the Old Testament will be near completion this year. GRA translators will finish the Masalit New Testament early next year.
Pray for wisdom as believers live out the Gospel in refugee camps.
“We have 106 translators. They’re all from a Muslim background. They are living out that biblical worldview in the context of removing the chains of Islam,” John says.
Header image depicts Sudanese refugees. Photo courtesy DFID – UK Department for International Development, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
