Sudan Dioceses
Five dioceses cover the whole geographical area of Sudan: El Obeid with Bishop Ismail Gabriel Kadugli with Bishop Andudu Elnail Wad Medani with Bishop Saman Farajalla Port Sudan with acting Bishop Abdu Nur Follow the above links for photos and more information about each Diocese. In Sudan, the Episcopal Church centre for theological and ministerial training is the Shukai Bible Training Institute (SBTI) in Omdurman. The Principal is the Revd Canon Musa Elgadi. The five Dioceses are part of the Province of the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS). Archbishop Daniel Deng is based in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. Greatly respected by the government of South Sudan, he has been used by them as a negotiator in troubled tribal areas. Throughout the Province, the bishops and churches continue to be a stabilising and encouraging anchor for the people in turbulent times. Bishop Ezekiel of Khartoum frequently has to speak to and negotiate with the government of Sudan, and has been involved in national peace talks.
Following the division of the old Sudan into two countries, Sudan and South Sudan, the government of Sudan ordered all southerners to leave Sudan. There is insufficient transportation for such a large people movement. There is great hardship among those being removed, many of whom were born in the north and know nothing else. As a result membership of the churches in Sudan is depleted, and the Christian remnant are vulnerable with some church buildings in Khartoum being bulldozed.
For current information about people movements in Sudan due to warfare or forced repatriation, see the regular UN reports on humanitarian needs in the country, here.
The five Dioceses's partnership with Bradford (and connections with Salisbury and Southwestern Virginia) give them an international contact and relationship which helps keeps their hopes and spirits high.
The standard of living in Sudan is falling sharply. Sanctions are still imposed internationally and income from oil has ceased as South Sudan refuses pay the levies imposed by Sudan for discharging it through Port Sudan. The position of the President, Gen Bashir, is fragile especially as his arrest for war crimes is still sought by the International Criminal Court. This limits his movements and increases the likelihood of a ‘coup’ within his state. Three newspapers have been closed down in an effort to silence opposition. President Bashir has a 'One Nation' policy for Sudan - one language (Arabic), one religion (Islam), one culture (Arab) - which hits very hard at the part of the population which are Christian and African.
Street scene, Umbadda township, west of Omdurman |
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| Theological training | |
| Khartoum Diocese | |
| El Obeid Diocese | |
| Port Sudan Diocese | |
| Wad Medani Diocese | |
| Kadugli Diocese | |
