New York, NY, May 6, 2006—The head of The United Methodist Church’s international mission agency says he is cautiously optimistic that a significant step has been taken toward peace in the Darfur region of Sudan.
The Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of the General Board of Global Ministries, responded to reports of the signing of a peace agreement between the government of Sudan and the Sudan Liberation Army. Civil conflict in Darfur, a region of western Sudan about the size of Texas, has left two million people homeless—many as refugees in neighboring Chad—and caused the deaths of some 180,000 people over the last three years.
However, as Rev. Day pointed out, several smaller groups opposed to the government have not yet signed the agreement, which was brokered by diplomats from the United States and the United Kingdom. He thanked the negotiators and urged the hold-out groups to enter the peace process.
Day also called upon the nations of the world to step up their contributions to the World Food Program’s efforts in Darfur. The food agency related to the United Nations in early May announced it was cutting back on food allotments to Darfur because of inadequate contributions from governments.
