In light of this weekend’s impending referendum the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s Religious Liberty Commission today released a report titled Religious Freedom in Sudan: Referendum on the North/South Divide.
The report shines a spotlight on the widespread discrimination against Christians in Northern Sudan how this discrimination has contributed to the pitched ideological divisions between North and South. Following the widely noted expectation that secession of the South is likely result of the referendum, the report then examines the issues likely to impact negotiating post-referendum practicalities and reviews possible scenarios that might follow internationally recognized secession by the South.
Referendum on the North/South Divide then surveys current international political efforts toward a peaceful transition to two states, and discusses the potential role of the Church in these efforts. The report concludes by recommending that the Canadian government continue its role in regard to the referendum’s logistical needs, maintain an active, sustained diplomatic presence to help improve the plight of religious minorities in the North and standards of governance in the South, engage with UN peacekeeping initiatives if required, and support the work of NGOs in developing the impoverished communities of the South.
Underlying the report is the assertion that the impact of religious persecution in Sudan’s recent history requires that religious freedom be a human rights and political priority in order to secure a peaceful transition after the referendum.
The January 6, 2011 report is available on the EFC website at: http://files.efc-canada.net/si/rfi/sudanreport-rlcv0106-3.pdf
For more information contact:
Anita Leveques
Coordinator Religious Liberty Commission
(613) 233-9868, ext. 325
[email protected]