Charles Jacobs, president of the American Anti-Slavery Group, and John Eibner, assistant to the international president of Christian Solidarity International, report in the Washington Times on a ray of hope in Sudan, where Christians have been enslaved and brutalized by Muslims for years:
“For the first time in 20 years, Southern Sudan stands on the threshold of peace. The guns are silent. Slave raiding is suspended. Humanitarian aid is flowing. Plans for reconstruction are on the drawing board. Secretary of State Colin Powell expects a comprehensive peace agreement before the end of the year.
“This is a ray of hope in a long, dark night of despair: More than 2 million have perished; more than 4 million have been displaced; and tens of thousands of women and children have been enslaved in Khartoum’s declared jihad against the non-Muslims of Southern Sudan. . . .
“Success is within reach. The United States has already pressured and cajoled the belligerents — the government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (PLA)– into accepting a settlement based on sound principles: autonomous, Shariah-free self-government for Southern Sudan; and a referendum on independence for Southern Sudan at the end of a six-year interim period.”
All is not resolved, as the piece makes clear. But real progress has been made. Let’s hope it holds.