Pray for Blue Nile Refugees

Fatima rushed inside her small mud hut and hurriedly packed a few belongings. Rumours of conflict nearby had the whole refugee camp in a panic, and she was ready to grab her children and flee. Her family is no stranger to conflict.

Fatima was a young teenager when she and her family first fled from their homeland in the Blue Nile state of Sudan over a decade ago. Back then she didn’t understand the impact of war, and her family’s flight was a big adventure. Now, as a mother of small children, she knows better.

Fatima is from a small sub-tribe of the Burun, one of the many tribes and sub-tribes who make up over 130,000 refugees now living in a remote corner of South Sudan, itself a war-ravaged country. They rely on limited rations, received from the UN, and daily life is a struggle, especially since the Covid pandemic has reduced foreign aid. Fatima regularly walks three hours into the bush to cut firewood, and she struggles to keep her children healthy.

The Blue Nile state has been inaccessible to outsiders for many years, so little research has been done about the different tribes who call this region home. Although the refugees’ current location is still difficult to access, they are now living in a country where they are free to hear the Good News.

How to Pray

• Pray for God to bring healing to refugees scarred by years of conflict. May they see the power and love of Jesus in their everyday struggles and find real hope for both the present and the future. (Psalm 103:2-4)
• Pray for peace in the Blue Nile region of Sudan so that the refugees can return to their homeland.(Isaiah 35:10)
• Pray for God’s kingdom to grow among each of these tribes, and for fellowships of believers to be established which can continue to grow in their homeland. (1 Peter 2:9)