Bishops Plead for U.N. Action in Sudan

Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey and Cardinal Basil Hume, archbishop of Westminster, have sent an unusual joint letter to British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook asking his support for action by the United Nations to end the civil war in Sudan.

Their plea was made in response to a letter to Cook from the bishops of the Anglican Church of Sudan, sent from their recent meeting in Nairobi. Conditions in Sudan are such that the bishops have to meet outside their country.

In their letter, the Sudanese bishops asked Cook to use his influence with the United Nations to promote “speedy and serious negotiations” toward peace.

The two English archbishops reminded Cook of the “deep concern” felt by Anglicans and Roman Catholics around the world about the continuing civil war and the “horrendous suffering” of the people of Sudan.

“The war in Sudan has decimated the country,” they wrote. “It has created a huge refugee problem, not only for the immediate neighbors of Sudan, but throughout Africa and the Middle East, and indeed in many parts of Europe as well.

“To date there appears to have been no noticeable progress in peace negotiations, either internally or externally through the IGAD [Inter-Governmental Authority on Development] process. And to most neutral observers there appears to be a singular lack of political will to become involved.”