Emergency Response

December 22, 2010

On January 9, 2011, Southern Sudan is supposed to hold a referendum on self-determination. For ACT Alliance, the international relief and development coalition of which the United Church is a member, the situation that will follow the January 9 referendum is of major concern, and it has prompted ACT to issue an Emergency Preparedness for Southern Sudan appeal. ACT members working in Sudan, called the ACT Sudan Forum, predict a significant degree of unrest in Southern Sudan and other areas of the country. They and their local partners are planning to be able to respond effectively to what appears to be a predictable emergency. United Church partner the Sudan Council of Churches is a member of the ACT Sudan Forum.

The areas of greatest concern are 10 states in Southern Sudan and the so-called transitional areas of Abyei, Southern Kordofan State, and Blue Nile State, all of which are also prone to complex and natural disasters that require life-saving responses in remote areas.

The ACT appeal covers both the activities of the eight ACT members involved and also their 21 implementing partners, including Sudanese ones. The objective of this 12-month appeal is to provide emergency preparedness training, set up essential shelter and water purification supplies, supply local implementing partners with adequate communication and transport equipment, and promote safety and security.

"It is great to see ACT taking such preparatory pre-crisis measures,” says Gary Kenny, the United Church's Program Coordinator for Emergency Response and International Development. "This shows a lot of forethought on ACT's part and will undoubtedly help to minimize human suffering in the days following the January referendum."

The United Church has contributed $50,000 to ACT's emergency preparedness appeal for Sudan, and is standing by to make more emergency funds available as needed. Also, the United Church is in discussions with members of Canadian Churches in Action and members of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank about the possibly of food aid and food security support for the people of Southern Sudan in the post-referendum period.

For further background, read Southern Sudan: Referendum 2011 [PDF: 2 pp/46 KB].