The Sudanese Catholic Bishops released a statement on July
25 calling for a more rigorous implementation of the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement, as well as more concerted efforts for peace throughout Sudan.
The statement was openly critical of the widespread corruption within Sudan
and the “minimal efforts being exerted by the Government to enforce law and
order.
The Bishops called on the Government to recognize and
respect the Church by protecting its ministry efforts and making reparations
for the land that has been unlawfully seized by the government from the Church.
The statement expressed even more frustration at the
Sudanese Government’s “outright rejection… of some of the aspects of the CPA,”
including the Protocol on Abyei, the call for shared power of the
administration of Khartoum, and the
formation of Independent Commissions. Further, the Bishops communicate their
desire for greater military presence in the interest of security. They
especially voiced their support for a UN Peace-Keeping Force in Darfur
and for “more efforts towards the peaceful settlement to the conflict [caused
by pro-government militias and the Lord’s Resistance Army] so that peace could
prevail in northern Uganda
and Southern Sudan.”