New Sudan Council of Churches
Encyclopedia
The New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) is an organization comprising six churches located in Southern Sudan: the Roman Catholic Church
, Episcopal Church of the Sudan
, Presbyterian Church of Sudan, African Inland Church, Sudan Pentecostal Church, and Sudan Interior Church. Formed in 1989-1990 under Bishop Paride Taban
, the NSCC has acted as a facilitator in peace negotiations during the Second Sudanese Civil War
. Along with its stated goal of Christian
fellowship, it is active in reconciliation advocacy and human rights
.
The NSCC most widely reported success was the negotiation of an end to inter-ethnic fighting among Nuer in 1999. The Wunlit negotiations led to the creation of the South Sudan Liberation Movement
, which declared itself neutral in the conflict. According to John Prendergast of the International Crisis Group
, what progress has been made in reconciling the factions that resulted when Riek Machar
and Lam Akol
's defected from the Sudan People's Liberation Army
(SPLA) in 1994 is largely the result of the work of the NSCC. However, the European-Sudanese Public Affairs Council, an organization that largely takes a pro-government stance, states that the NSCC has is overly entangled with the political leadership and goals of the SPLA.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, Episcopal Church of the Sudan
Episcopal Church of the Sudan
The Episcopal Church of the Sudan is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion in Sudan and South Sudan. The province consists of twenty-four dioceses, each headed by a bishop. One of the diocesan bishops is elected to serve as Archbishop of the Sudan, and represent the province to the rest...
, Presbyterian Church of Sudan, African Inland Church, Sudan Pentecostal Church, and Sudan Interior Church. Formed in 1989-1990 under Bishop Paride Taban
Paride Taban
Paride Taban is a Sudanese Emeritus Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and is co-founder of the New Sudan Council of Churches. Taban was Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Torit in southern Sudan from 1983 until 2004...
, the NSCC has acted as a facilitator in peace negotiations during the Second Sudanese Civil War
Second Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s....
. Along with its stated goal of Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
fellowship, it is active in reconciliation advocacy and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
.
The NSCC most widely reported success was the negotiation of an end to inter-ethnic fighting among Nuer in 1999. The Wunlit negotiations led to the creation of the South Sudan Liberation Movement
South Sudan Liberation Movement
The South Sudan Liberation Movement is an armed group that operates in the Upper Nile Region in southern Sudan. The group's creation was announced in November 1999 by people of the Nuer ethnicity who were in both the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army and the government-allied South Sudan...
, which declared itself neutral in the conflict. According to John Prendergast of the International Crisis Group
International Crisis Group
The International Crisis Group is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to prevent and resolve deadly conflicts around the world through field-based analyses and high-level advocacy.-History:...
, what progress has been made in reconciling the factions that resulted when Riek Machar
Riek Machar
Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon , is the first vice-president of the independent Republic of South Sudan.Riek Machar obtained a PhD in mechanical engineering in 1984 and then joined the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army during the Second Sudanese Civil War...
and Lam Akol
Lam Akol
Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin is a South Sudanese politician of Kenyan descent. He is the current leader of SPLM for Democratic Change , which he founded 6 June 2009...
's defected from the Sudan People's Liberation Army
Sudan People's Liberation Army
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement is a political party in South Sudan. It was initially founded as a rebel political movement with a military wing known as the Sudan People's Liberation Army estimated at 180,000 soldiers. The SPLM fought in the Second Sudanese Civil War against the Sudanese...
(SPLA) in 1994 is largely the result of the work of the NSCC. However, the European-Sudanese Public Affairs Council, an organization that largely takes a pro-government stance, states that the NSCC has is overly entangled with the political leadership and goals of the SPLA.