The Reverend Peter Tibi, the General Secretary of the Sudan Council of Churches
to Visit Australian Congregations in June
act for peace is proud to host The Reverend Peter Tibi on his first visit to Australia. Revd. Tibi has been the General Secretary of the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC) since May 2007. He is responsible for the development of a holistic approach to peace building and conflict resolution which has involved the running of peace conferences. These conferences aim to equip tribes with the knowledge, methods and means to secure real and lasting peace in war torn Sudan.
Throughout the history of the wars in Sudan, the church has provided meaningful support to afflicted communities. act for peace has been working with church partners in Sudan since 1991. The people-to-people peace building process supported by act for peace is a unique method of facilitating meaningful dialogue and reconciliation with the view of sustainable peace between ethnic groups. The role of women and youth in conflict management and resolution practices has been strengthened and the program has involved tens of thousands of people and will soon include a disarmament program.
Revd. Tibi says, “We see tribes and ethnic groups who were previously fighting with each other now living together harmoniously… Children forcibly taken by other families during the war have been reunited with their own families in the Bahr el Ghazal region.”
The purpose of Revd. Tibi’s visit to Australia will be to discuss the innovative peace work the SCC is undertaking in partnership with act for peace and the opportunity for Australians to further understand the tragic humanitarian situation in Sudan. He will be addressing congregations in Sydney on Sunday June 7 and in Melbourne Sunday June 14. With the indictment of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, Revd. Tibi’s visit comes at a pivotal point in history for Sudan and for the movement to end impunity and state-sponsored atrocities.
The consequences of the conflict in Darfur which entered its sixth year in 2009 have been dire. Assistance to Darfur’s 2.7 million-plus displaced people has been severely compromised, and a number of health-related crises are already emerging. Humanitarian access remains difficult due to aid restrictions and the future is very uncertain in the wake of aid agency expulsions. The absence of peace in Sudan will not only hurt Sudan as a nation but will have serious repercussions for the region.
For media comment or appointment with Revd. Peter Tibi, please contact
act for peace Marketing and Communication Coordinator, Edwyn Shiell: 0402 254 968.
For time and location information for Revd. Tibi’s congregation presentations, please visit|
www.actforpeace.org.au or Free Call 1800 025 101.
