South Sudan

In South Sudan, one focus of Mission 21's work is peacebuilding. In addition, Mission 21, together with its partner church, supports the population with projects for better schooling and vocational training as well as in the area of food sovereignty.

Building peace in the midst of war

Peacebuilding is central to the current situation in South Sudan: South Sudan has been plagued by a serious conflict since 2013, which came to a head again in 2016. The civil war has claimed up to 600,000 lives. Around 4.2 million inhabitants were forced to flee from attacks, massacres, rape and destruction.

A peace treaty was signed in September 2018. But the peace is fragile. The situation also remains politically tense. The elections planned for December 2024 were recently postponed again, to December 2026. The government under President Salva Kiir and his political rival Riek Machar are still unable to agree on the implementation of the peace agreement, which means that political stability and democratic processes remain postponed.

Added to this are the effects of the war that has been raging in Sudan since April 2023. Since then, over 750,000 people have crossed the border into South Sudan. These are returning South Sudanese and also refugees from Sudan, including many women and girls. They are particularly vulnerable, as the risk of sexual violence increases in times of conflict. Living conditions are precarious: refugees live in improvised shelters in the town of Renk or are in transit.

Peacebuilding and reconciliation work are therefore more important than ever. The churches play an important role in bringing about reconciliation in a divided society. Mission 21 supports the commitment of its partner church, the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan (PCOSS), and the Federation of South Sudanese Churches. The project work promotes the development of non-violent and just relationships across ethnic and religious boundaries. Trauma and reconciliation work helps people to deal with what they have experienced without reacting with renewed violence. Mission 21 also supports the country with humanitarian aid.

Famine torments people

Even before the war, the food situation was precarious. Seven million people in South Sudan are dependent on humanitarian aid. The situation is being exacerbated by extreme weather conditions, particularly flooding. These are leading to a further increase in food shortages and rising food prices. Aid organizations warn that over seven million people are acutely threatened by hunger and urgently need emergency aid. Children under the age of five are particularly at risk.

Education for the future

Our partner church, the Presbyterian Church of Southern Sudan (PCOSS), originally based in the heavily affected Greater Upper Nile region, acts where its church members are - even if they have had to flee to other parts of the country. The refugees are mainly located in the capital Juba and in refugee camps around the South Sudanese border. With impressive flexibility, the church has resumed its projects there. It is providing aid with great commitment, especially in peace, reconciliation and trauma work and in education, but also in food sovereignty or in training midwives and pastors as future pastors and peace ambassadors.

The belief in peace and reconstruction

The South Sudan Federation of Churches (SSCC), with its seven large member churches and inter-church bodies, reaches people everywhere in the country, including at the grassroots level. The churches are the only institution that still enjoys the trust of the population and conveys the example of a life of unity and reconciliation through congregational and project work. In this way, our partner churches make a significant contribution to ensuring that the people of South Sudan do not give up and lose faith in peace and the strength for reconstruction.