Stand in the Gap for Darfur

Justice and Peace

After a successful meeting on Darfur at the U.N. last week, the UN Secretary General made his comments to the press outlining the outcomes of the meeting and a joint UN/AU press communique was issued.   One simple phrase stuck out to me from Secretary Ban Ki-Moon's words,

"As I have stated, justice is a part of the peace process, and these should go hand in hand."

Given that justice should be a part of the peace process and as the:

• 62nd UN General Assembly meets this week and will enter into discussions on Darfur,
• as aid convoys and villages continue to be attacked,
• and as the conflict spills over to displace people in Eastern Chad and Central African Republic,

the lines from the Book of Common Prayer collects for justice and peace seem relevant to pray....

"Almighty God, who created us in your own image: Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations..."

"Almighty God, kindle, we pray, in every heart the true love of peace, and guide with your wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth..."

Share any prayers that you have so we may join together in one voice to stand in the gap.

Points of Progress One step at a Time

There is a high-level Darfur UN/AU meeting scheduled for this Friday September 21st in New York with 26 countries invited to discuss a road map for peace.  The UN and Sudanese government have also agreed to a date of October 27th for the meeting in Tripoli for the Sudanese government and Darfur rebels to begin peace talks.    Amidst this seemingly slow diplomatic process, the UN says violence in camps is increasing and nearly a quarter million people are either newly or re-displaced in 2007.

Are you encouraged by these steps towards a new peace agreement?  Do you think the U.N. and the International community is doing enough to move things forward?

Let's join in prayer for the meeting tomorrow at the U.N. and for continued but SWIFT step-by-step progress towards a lasting peace for Darfur's people.

Laying the Foundations for Expanded U.N. Action

The U.N. Secretary-General arrived in Khartoum today to meet with Sudanese officials to discuss progress on resolving conflict in Darfur.    He is also planning to make a trip into the South and into the Darfur region to see the "situation" prior to deployment of the UN peacekeeping force next year.  The UN News reports the Secretary-General saying in his first address:

“As for human rights, we have only to look around us to see how far Sudan has to go in upholding human rights and protecting people from suffering.”

Let's hope and pray that the Secretary-General's visit with the Sudanese president will foster a change in policy towards Darfur and establish a foundation for the future peacekeeping mission.

Other international leaders have also been vocal in their commitments to new action for Darfur.  Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy published a commentary in the Times London on August 31st on their plans to push for Darfur peace.

This UN SG's visit and new movement on Darfur is encouraging and hopeful given that reports on the humanitarian and security situation in Darfur remain dire.