When it separates from North Sudan on 9 July, South Sudan will become the newest country in Africa. As you’ve heard in the news there’s still much instability in the border regions and much uncertainty about the future of both countries. So what does this mean for those ministering there?

There are indications that the mostly Arabic-speaking Sudan will become more hardline Islamic while South Sudan remains a largely Christian and animist region. Both countries are facing many challenges with minority groups in the north and development and infrastructure issues in the south, as well as ongoing tribal conflicts and border disputes.

“Please join with us in fervent prayer for our Christian brethren who have been suffering persecution in South Sudan and the Nuba Mountains,” says Mekonen, Feba’s Media Coordinator (NE Africa). “Let us pray that peace with justice be firmly established in an independent South Sudan.”

So what ministry is going on?

Mekonen coordinates with local partners to produce programmes like the My Family series that covers issues such as communication in the family, acceptance of each other, leadership in the family and women’s role in the family. “We are also currently working on Proverbs,” he says. “Our listening audience love proverbs and use them a lot in everyday life. This is evident on the public transport, in the market and when they gather together for events. Our language producers are working on this with enthusiasm as we look forward to the future.”

Cush4Christ, our FM partner in South Sudan, broadcasts daily to the local community. They recently added a 5-7 minute newscast each week night, provided by partnering with a Sudanese news organization to receive their written stories by internet on a daily basis and then translating 2 or 3 of their stories into the local language.

The Cush4Christ project coordinator reports that as armed forces over ran the town of Abyei (about 80 miles northeast of them) their access to supplies has been limited. “They are blockading food and fuel at the border and supplies in the market are almost gone. The price of what is left has skyrocketed. What makes all this even more tragic is that this is the beginning of the rainy season, which means 2 things for the poor people living in these areas: 1) It's hard to escape because weather, and muddy, pot-holed roads make travel very difficult, and 2) The people's food supplies are at their lowest at this time of year (they should be cultivating their sorghum but instead are fleeing into caves, etc.)." Pray for the project coordinator as he travels back from a trip to the US to South Sudan in mid-July.